A legal adviser, who will act in a capacity similar to the Attorney General, has been appointed to advise the houses of the Oireachtas, reports Alison O'Connor.
The Ceann Comhairle, Mr Seamus Pattison, announced yesterday that Ms Lia O'Hegarty had been appointed as Parliamentary Law Adviser. A spokeswoman for the House of the Oireachtas public relations office said that Ms O'Hegarty would advise parliament, as opposed to individual members TDs or senators, and would be bound by confidentiality.
The need for such an appointment had been raised by Public Accounts Committee members who felt that it would have benefited from advice from an internal legal adviser.
Ms O'Hegarty is a graduate of University College Cork and was called to the Bar in 1996.