The body that runs Leinster House has told former Rehab Group chief executive Angela Kerins that it will not enter mediation, despite the urging of the Taoiseach that closure should be brought to a long-running dispute relating to her appearance before an Oireachtas committee.
The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission wrote to Ms Kerins last month to say it has been advised that it does not have the legal authority to enter mediation.
In 2014, she was questioned for seven hours by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) about Rehab's finances.
The Supreme Court found that the PAC had acted unlawfully by subjecting Ms Kerins to questioning that went beyond the scope of its terms of reference.
Chief Justice Frank Clarke stated that the committee had conducted a public hearing that significantly exceeded the invitation originally issued to her and that its approach was inappropriate for a parliamentary committee.
Watch: Kerins seeking further meeting with Taoiseach to press case, reports Sandra Hurley
The court could not grant her compensation or an apology - only the Oireachtas could provide a remedy.
Mr Justice Gerard Hogan also said that the Dáil had an "elevated" duty to ensure that Ms Kerins' rights were upheld and vindicated.
However, in the letter sent last month, Chairperson of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy, said that it had sought the advice of a senior counsel as to "whether it is legally permissible for the Commission to engage in a mediation process, the outcome of which may include a financial remedy".
It continues: "I know you will be disappointed to learn that Senior Counsel advised that the Commission does not have the legal authority to enter mediation on the terms suggested".
Ms Murphy said the commission had accepted the advice and had informed Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
It is understood that Ms Kerins is seeking a further meeting with Mr Martin to progress the matter.
In a statement today, he again called for a "satisfactory resolution" to the matter.
It can also be revealed that the Taoiseach wrote to the Ceann Comhairle last year to urge a resolution.
In a strongly worded letter, Mr Martin said that the affair had been "very damaging to the Oireachtas, the practice of parliamentary politics and the public perception of the Oireachtas".
He added: "It appears to me that Ms Kerins’ experience displayed a clear failure on the part of Dáil Eireann to protect an individual’s constitutional rights."
Mr Martin expressed his view that an independent mediator should be appointed to recommend a remedy.
The fallout from the controversy led to changes to the rules of Oireachtas committees to offer more protection to witnesses.
