Dáil chairman Seán Ó Fearghaíl: ‘No more committee stone- walling’

Ex-FAI boss John Delaney’s stone-walling of Oireachtas committees will not be allowed “happen again” under new rules being prepared by authorities, Dáil chairman Seán Ó Fearghaíl has said.

Following the outcry after the ex-FAI CEO’s decision to refuse to answer committee questions earlier this year because of the Angela Kerins Supreme Court ruling, the Ceann Comhairle has said “full and open disclosure” before committees is expected.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr Ó Fearghaíl said the Delaney incident was “unfortunate but predictable”.

“It is understandable that, in the immediate aftermath of a Supreme Court judgment, there would be some concern and uncertainty,” he said. “I think the review will have to look at that sort of scenario. On a human level, it is easy to understand how that happened because it came in the immediate aftermath of the Kerins judgment where uncertainty prevailed.

People here within the system were super conscious of the decision and sensitive not to do anything that might be considered to be untoward. But in the review, we will take a cold, clinical long and hard look at that situation to ensure that sort of thing doesn’t happen again.

“I think it was unfortunate but predictable enough outcome. When we have these inquiries and people volunteer to come before them, the least we have the right to expect and the public has a right to expect is full and open disclosure.”

The Ceann Comhairle insisted Oireachtas committees “will not be nobbled” despite new laws being needed after the damning Kerins judgment.

Mr Ó Fearghaíl said while the then Public Accounts Committee “broke the law” in relation to how it treated Ms Kerins in 2012, new rules must not lead to a watering down of the powers of important committees.

“Absolutely,” he said. “First of all is that we have to guarantee that committees won’t be nobbled, that is the crucial thing. I hope that arising out of the review that is going on is that the committee system will be strengthened and will be able to move forward with greater certainty.

“The Supreme Court was very explicit, it was the fault of the House, the 158 members of the Dáil share the blame for that.

“The Supreme Court found that in this instance that we were not, that we trampled on the rights of a citizen, that we acted outside the law and that we were wrong. We owe it to the public to get it right and that is what I intend to do.”