Justice minister ‘has lost his sense of responsibility’

Sinn Féin, along with a succession of opposition TDs have questioned Alan Shatter’s explanation as to when he was informed of the existence of the Garda tapes.

Pádraig MacLochlainn, Sinn Féin’s justice spokes- person, said Mr Shatter had lost his sense of responsibility to both his office and the Irish people and should resign.

“Each of these scandals has demonstrated an unhealthily close relationship between the Minister for Justice and Equality and the former Garda commissioner, Martin Callinan, in which the minister lost his objectivity and sense of responsibility to the Irish people and his office,” he said.