Helen McEntee defies calls for Dáil statement on Seamus Woulfe appointment 

THe Justice Minister said the process for appointing the under-fire Supreme Court judge was followed. Picture: PA

Justice Minister Helen McEntee says that her proposal to take parliamentary questions on the appointment of Seamus Woulfe to the Supreme Court is adequate.

TDs have demanded for the last two weeks that Ms McEntee make a statement and take questions on the matter. However, Ms McEntee has proposed that her scheduled appearance to take her normal oral parliamentary questions be brought forward.

Speaking on RTÉ News, Ms McEntee said that the process for appointing the former Attorney General to the Supreme Court was followed.

"There's a very clear process for appointing a judge. The Judicial Appointments Board makes a recommendation, you look at that and any expressions of interest and then engage with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste and Minister Ryan."

However, Ms McEntee did not say if she had told the Taoiseach and Tánaiste that three other sitting judges had made expressions of interest for the role. 

She said that she believes that Mr Woulfe was the best person for the role but that she put forward only one name.

"There's an inference here that I could not have been capable of putting a name forward. 

What I have done here is my job. 

"I was appointed at the end of June and there seems to be the inference that I am not qualified to appoint a judge because it was three weeks later. 

"It is my job to put forward a recommendation for the person that I think is the most qualified.

"I have done this (recommended judges) on six occasions and Cabinet has not rejected a single name."

Ms McEntee said that she, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin had met Garda Commissioner Drew Harris today to discuss the enforcement of Covid regulations, a meeting described as positive.