Courts warned off hobbling PAC

The State has argued the courts should be “very slow” to make any order in the legal challenge by former Rehab CEO Angela Kerins that might impact on how the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) functions.

The PAC has a significant role in relation to the Dáil’s discharge of its duty to control public expenditure and there is a significant public interest in the discharge of the Committee’s functions, said Maurice Collins, counsel for the State.

Ms Kerins’ case was substantially about damages and she was seeking to make TDs on the PAC amenable, in “direct violation” of the Constitution, for their statements at public hearings concerning public funds paid to Rehab companies.