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Shatter declines to answer on confidence in Attorney General & Taoiseach

Mr Shatter said he cannot answer why no notes were taken at his meeting with himself, the Taoiseach and AG
Mr Shatter said he cannot answer why no notes were taken at his meeting with himself, the Taoiseach and AG

Former justice minister Alan Shatter has declined to express confidence in the Taoiseach and the Attorney General. 

Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, Mr Shatter said he was not going to be a commentator on the report at this time.

However, he said there is no possibility that he will be voting in favour of the Opposition when they put down their Dáil motion of no confidence in Enda Kenny and Attorney General Máire Whelan.

Mr Shatter also refused to comment on the findings of the Fennelly Report but said no conclusion can be taken in isolation.

The report investigated the sequence of events that led up to the retirement of former garda commissioner Martin Callinan.

Mr Shatter said he cannot entirely answer the question as to why no notes were taken at the meeting between Mr Kenny, himself and the Attorney General.

He said it would have been helpful and would have made the job of Mr Justice Fennelly easier.

Mr Shatter said that if this gives rise to new questions that these issues can be addressed in the Dáil.

Earlier, Labour TD Pat Rabitte said the Fennelly Report has not helped anyone in understanding any of the events that led to the resignation of Mr Callinan.

He said that there are a great many questions that still need to be answered.

Social Democrat TD Róisín Shortall said the Fennelly Report paints a picture of worrying incompetence and panic on the part of the Taoiseach.

She said it shows scant regard for procedures across a number of departments.

Ms Shortall said she is not concerned with the matter of a vote of "no confidence" in the Attorney General, but she said that the Dáil needs to be recalled and a committee should carry out a thorough investigation.