Opposition not happy with McEntee's offer to answer PQs on Woulfe

Opposition TDs want answers from Justice Minister Helen McEntee on the appointment of Séamus Woulfe as a Supreme Court justice.

Opposition leaders have said that they are completely unsatisfied by Justice Minister Helen McEntee's offer to answer parliamentary questions on the Séamus Woulfe affair.

TDs have demanded for the last two weeks that Ms McEntee make a statement on the appointment of the former Attorney General as a Supreme Court justice earlier this year. 

However, the minister and the Government have ignored those calls. Ms McEntee has written to Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl to ask him to convey to the Dáil Business Committee that she would like her next session, due to take place on December 15, to be brought forward "to a date satisfactory" to members.

The Dáil schedule proposes this date to be December 1 at 9.50pm, during which Ms McEntee would answer pre-submitted questions, but would not take questions from the floor.

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy has written to the Ceann Comhairle to say that format is "not what is being sought and the format is not acceptable to the Social Democrats".

Ms Murphy's letter goes on to say: "With Ministerial Questions, as we both know, the format is there are a wide variety of questions across the entire portfolio tabled, apart from the five priority questions which are controlled by those they are assigned to. The rest of the oral questions reached may not include questions on the judicial appointment process."

Labour leader Alan Kelly said the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, and Green Party leader need to "cop on" and "stop running scared". He said Ms McEntee is obliged to take questions in the Dáil on her Department's functions and to use that time for questions on Mr Woulfe is "spurious and insulting".

"She has to take a full questions and answers session from the Dáil. No avoidance tactic or sideways step will work — she is losing credibility.

"Are we to believe that a Minister three, weeks in office, saw all of the names, walked into Cabinet, considered all of the information, and proposed this name alone? That's not credible.

"She is a fine politician, this isn't about her ability. But this is about the process. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste were not aware of any of this. This is not going away. It is incredibly serious and getting more so"

Sinn Féin's Justice spokesman Martin Kenny said the proposed format is "ridiculous".

"We need the Minister to come into the Dáil in Government time to read a statement and take questions from the opposition. As they continue to do this, the question we ask is — what are they hiding?

"Whoever she's protecting, she needs to tell us what process was used to appoint Mr Woulfe."

Mr Kenny asked if Mr Woulfe's appointment was agreed in government formation talks during the summer, but this idea was rejected by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe.

Asked directly if the appointment formed part of discussions between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, Mr Donohoe said: "The process in relation to this was followed, and it never at any point appeared in the negotiations to form a Government."