Tanáiste says opposition are 'trigger-happy' for calling inquiries

TANÁISTE Joan Burton has accused opposition parties of being trigger-happy in seeking commissions of inquiry ‘into anything and everything.’

She has a point, although the Coalition is no slouch in this regard, either, most notably the banking inquiry and the Fennelly commission’s investigation into the taping of phone calls at Garda stations.

Due to the enormity of the task, Mr Justice Nial Fennelly has sought for an extension to finish his report and the employment of more barristers at a cost of more than €300,000.

As Vicky Conway, lecturer in law at Dublin City University, pointed out on RTÉ radio yesterday, when the Fennelly Commission has completed its work all it will have determined is whether there is evidence that constitutional rights were broken. That could mean a further investigation of that evidence, perhaps followed by another inquiry.

We seem to have inquiryitis in Ireland and that presents two problems: firstly, there is the enormous cost involved; and, more importantly, the wisdom of endless inquiries that operate like a parallel justice system.