Purcell accused of stonewalling in Dáil probe

A senior Department of Justice official has been accused of "stonewalling" a Dáil committee, after refusing to clarify why he was sent by Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the then Garda commissioner’s home hours before he announced his retirement.

The claim was thrown at the department’s secretary general, Brian Purcell, after he provoked outrage from the cross-party justice committee during three hours of questioning yesterday.

Amid scenes described as “farcical” by committee members — one of whom was threatened with expulsion for his criticism — Mr Purcell repeatedly refused to confirm what happened at Martin Callinan’s home at the height of the Garda bugging and whistleblower scandal which ultimately led to justice minister Alan Shatter’s resignation.

Instead, he said he was “constrained” from answering as his responses might “prejudice” a commission of investigation. The position was met with anger by committee members, with the group’s chair, Fine Gael’s David Stanton, noting its own legal advice that there is nothing stopping Mr Purcell from clarifying the matter.

However, despite a frustrated committee accusing him of “running down the clock” with long, pre-prepared answers, the official insisted this was not the case. “I hope I never again am found in a position where I am less than 100% open, but this is unique,” said Mr Purcell.

Under questioning from Mr Stanton, Independent TD Finian McGrath, Sinn Féin’s justice spokesperson Padraig MacLochlainn and Fianna Fáil counterpart Niall Collins, among others, Mr Purcell continued to hold tight to the position, often responding with 10- minute pre-written answers.

An exasperated Mr Stanton twice told Mr Purcell the matter “could be cleared up very quickly and I invite you to do that now”.

However, Mr Purcell said while he was “anxious to assist” he is “precluded from discussing certain matters”. He said at the “appropriate time” he will give his evidence in public to the independent investigation.

When Mr Purcell was asked if he would often meet with a “hypothetical” Garda commissioner at his home after-hours for work, he said no, and that any such meeting would instead normally take place by phone or “in an office, such as the department”.

After being asked would he “hypothetically just arrive at someone’s door”, he said: “Hypothetically, I wouldn’t turn up unannounced at anyone’s door” and admitted until that night he never went to Mr Callinan’s home.

However, on attempting to end the questioning by warning it was straying into an issue he could not discuss, Mr Stanton said “yes, it is”.

Mr Purcell denied claims by Fianna Fáil’s Niall Collins he discussed his committee position with the Taoiseach.

As the questions continued, Mr Stanton asked for the meeting to finish as it had been running for a number of hours.

“I wonder who got most of the time,” Finian McGrath noted dryly.