Oireachtas body seeks legal advice after Cooke refusal

An Oireachtas oversight committee has sought legal advice after retired judge John Cooke turned down an invitation to appear before it in relation to his investigation into alleged bugging of the Garda Ombudsman.

The Public Service Oversight and Petitions Committee is also to write to the Government highlighting serious concerns over its ability to perform its oversight role in light of issues raised by the former High Court judge.

Judge Cooke, whose report was published last month, wrote to the committee reluctantly declining to attend, citing a number of reasons.