Cabinet to approve terms for tapes probe

The Garda phone tapping inquiry is expected to probe how the Department of Justice managed its affairs, the history of who recorded what, and the recent resignation of the Garda commissioner.

The Cabinet are set to approve terms for a Commission of Investigation today which is also expected to allow for an examination of recordings made of phone conversations in prisons.

Government sources last night outlined areas of the inquiry to be led by Supreme Court judge Niall Fennelly, and said it may produce interim reports and its terms would be “detailed”.