The Chairman of the Oireachtas committee inquiring into the behaviour of Judge Brian Curtin has said he will be "deeply disappointed" if the committee's report is not complete by the end of July.
Denis O'Donovan TD, who heads up the all-party Oireachtas committee, said yesterday that the committee is still discussing with Judge Curtin's legal representatives the circumstances in which the judge's computer will be handed to it for examination.
The computer, which was seized from the judge's home in a raid in May 2002, is believed to contain images of child pornography. Judge Curtin was acquitted of possessing child pornography in April 2004 after it emerged that the warrant under which the computer had been seized was out of date.
Mr O'Donovan repeated yesterday that the committee wants to proceed quickly to deal with the case.
He welcomed the fact that the Supreme Court had now dealt with the issues of costs in the case in which the judge unsuccessfully challenged the pro-cedures being used by the Oireachtas in its inquiry into the affair, which could lead to the judge's removal from office. The Supreme Court has also "perfected" its orders in the case, meaning that that legal process has now been fully completed.
The committee is still in correspondence with the judge, who is seeking assurances about the security of the computer and his constitutional rights.