Whistleblower asks PAC to find out why he is omitted from prison investigation 

Noel McGree at his home in Portlaoise: 'I am not included in the investigation appointed by the Department of Justice because they refuse to engage with me,' he said in his letter, which calls for the PAC to clarify the matter. Picture: Moya Nolan

A whistleblower who drew attention to alleged wrongdoing within the Irish Prison Service has asked the Public Accounts Committee to clarify why he is not being consulted as part of the investigation he instigated.

Last February, Justice Minister Helen McEntee wrote to the PAC to say her secretary-general Oonagh McPhillips had been instructed to appoint an independent investigator to examine the catering procurement behaviour of voluntary mess committees within Irish prisons.