The Minister of Justice will face today the questions of Dáil on the appointment of Woulfe in the Supreme Court

JUSTICE MINISTER HELEN McEntee will face questions at the Dáil about Seamus Woulfe’s appointment to the Supreme Court this afternoon.

A heated dispute follows between the government and the opposition over plans for the debate, which will see oral statements followed by a 35-minute question-and-answer session.

With only five minutes allotted for each party spokesperson, the TDs accused the government of trying to “protect” McEntee from questions about the controversial appointment.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the coalition continues to evade accountability, while Catherine Murphy of the Social Democrats asked what the government is “trying to hide.”

McEntee, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar strongly opposed the process, citing the separation of powers between the legislature and the judicial system.

“The government continues to have serious concerns about the form of debate that the opposition is seeking and the effect it could have on the independence of the judiciary,” said a McEntee spokesman.

The position has been flatly dismissed by the opposition TDs, calling it “false” Alan Kelly of the Labor Party.

Woulfe was nominated to the Supreme Court in mid-July, several weeks after the Fianna Fail-Fine Gael-Green Party government was formed.

The name of the former attorney general was the only one McEntee submitted to Green Party leader Taoiseach and Tánaiste for approval, just three weeks after she was appointed minister.

He was proposed to the minister by the independent Judicial Appointments Advisory Board, which evaluated him as suitable for the position, while three practicing judges registered their expressions of interest through the Attorney General’s Office.

The 58-year-old attended the “golfgate” event in Clifden in August when members of the Oireachtas golf society gathered for a dinner organized against Covid-19 rules.

He refused to resign for handling the incident despite a call from Chief Justice Frank Clarke to resign.

With PA reports