Justice Minister makes no comment on Purcell

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has refused to express confidence in her department’s senior civil servant as Labour leadership contender Alex White again claimed the former Garda commissioner was sacked.

Ms Fitzgerald said she would wait until a review into her department was complete before making any public comment on whether she had confidence in secretary general Brian Purcell.

Mr Purcell had been dispatched to the home of then Garda commissioner Martin Callinan on March 24 to express Enda Kenny’s concern about a long-running telephone taping situation in Garda stations.