Fennelly report: Labour Ministers express full confidence in Attorney General

JOE HUMPRHEYS, LARA MARLOWE

Labour Ministers have rowed in behind Taoiseach Enda Kenny in expressing full confidence in Attorney General Máire Whelan following criticism of her in the interim report of the Fennelly commission on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Sinn Féin announced it would put forward a motion of no-confidence in the Taoiseach and Attorney General after the publication of the interim report by Supreme Court judge Nial Fennelly on the resignation of former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan in March 2014.

Yesterday, the Taoiseach expressed full confidence in the Attorney General. “Yes, I have full and absolute confidence in the Attorney General. I might say that Máire Whelan works extraordinarily hard on behalf of our country and works extraordinarily lengthy hours . . . She’s really an absolutely dedicated public servant.”

Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin said Ms Whelan will not be used as a scapegoat to protect the Taoiseach following the report.

"The Attorney General is an immensely competent, able, diligent law officer to the State that we would be deeply wounded as a nation to lose," Mr Howlin told RTÉ's Morning Ireland, adding that it was "an extraordinary question" to ask whether Ms Whelan would be sacrificed to save Enda Kenny.

Asked why Ms Whelan failed to advise the Government on the Garda taping issue before March 2014, Mr Howlin said the information she had received in November 2013 was “wholly and materially different in every respect” from the detail she became aware of during the weekend of March 21st and 22nd, 2014.

Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan said the pressure on the Attorney General was “politically driven”.

“I believe that it is entirely false to suggest that the Attorney General acted in any other way except absolutely appropriately as the legal adviser to the Government, going to the head of Government, the Taoiseach, as soon as she became aware of the seriousness of the issues that were before her, and she behaved absolutely appropriately,” she said.

Minister of State for Health and Primary Care Kathleen Lynch also said she has “full confidence” in the Attorney General.