The refusal by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, to confirm that Oireachtas members are not being bugged suggests that people working in Leinster House are under Garda investigation, Sinn Féin said today.
Dublin South Central TD, Mr Aengus Ó Snodaigh, claimed the Minister's refusal to disclose the information suggests that the communications of public representatives or staff in Leinster House are being intercepted.
The claim comes after Mr McDowell said in a written response this week to a question from Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Mr Arthur Morgan, that it would not be in the public interest to disclose information about authorisations to intercept communications.
The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform today said it would not comment on the issue specifically but maintained that "strict procedures are followed" before surveillance can be authorised. They also pointed out that bugging could only take place when authorised by a High Court judge.
Mr McDowell's response yesterday stated: "The relevant High Court judge has consistently confirmed in reports made available to the Oireachtas that the interceptions which have taken place have been in accordance with the [Interception of Postal Packages and Telecommunications] Act".
But Mr Ó Snodaigh said Mr McDowell's refusal to categorically state that people in Leinster House were not under surveillance raised a serious question about the confidentiality of communications in the building. "The whole phone system is operated from the same exchange," he said.
"Why couldn't he just say it wasn't happening? The answer he gave was so vague you could take it that there is bugging going on.
"It must be in the public interest to know if it is going on. It is a big thing to bug a building like this. If it has happened then the Garda must believe there could be a crime being committed in here and someone is under investigation," Mr Ó Snodaigh added.
The issue has been raised less than a month after it was revealed that Oireachtas members had their mail opened by the Garda.