SEANAD REPORT:DIARMUID WILSON (FF) said he had received new information that raised concerns about the evidence of some key Moriarty tribunal witnesses, particularly a member of the lower house.
“This new information refers to the acquisition of Doncaster Rovers Football Club and records that the member attended well in excess of 50 meetings relating to this acquisition. It is my understanding that neither these meetings nor their extent were advised to the tribunal. I will be forwarding this information to the tribunal,” said Mr Wilson.
He noted that within the next few weeks Mr Justice Moriarty would adjudicate on third-party legal cost applications. The auditor general had estimated that such costs would be in the region of €80 million to €100 million.
Seanad leader Maurice Cummins (FG) said he thought any additional facts that were available should be brought to the attention of the tribunal.
Jillian van Turnhout (Ind) said a judge in the Dublin Children’s Court had been reported as saying the HSE had walked away from its responsibilities in relation to a teenager who needed accommodation, that it had “lost the plot” and that he was disturbed by its lack of co-operation.
“I was thinking, as I read the report, that there’s a boy in his mid-teens that we have failed as a State.”
This was happening, not 10 or 20 years ago, but now. She wanted the Seanad to send out a clear message this was totally unacceptable.
She also wanted that view conveyed to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
Calling for a special Garda operation to deal with the crime situation in the country, Denis Landy (Lab) said that last week criminals had “knocked out” the electricity supply to an entire community in his locality and had proceeded to rob house after house, putting the fear of God into their occupants for the rest of their lives. This had to stop.
