Sir, - A basic principle governing powers of delegation is that the delegator is responsible for ensuring that delegated tasks are implemented. The Minister for Justice was given the responsibility by the Cabinet to arrange for the removal of Judge Lynch from the Special Criminal Court. She would naturally have delegated the carrying out of this task to an official in her department. However, she cannot delegate the responsibility for ensuring this task was carried out.
The Minister presumably holds regular meetings with her senior civil servants, in which a review of daily/weekly activities would be undertaken. For a considerable period of time, she failed to enquire whether the serious task she had delegated was carried out.
With regard to the Minister's assertion that she gave Dail Eireann all the information in her possession at the time, it has now been shown that this is not in fact correct. The Minister failed to inform the Dail that she had received a letter from Judged Lynch. She has failed in her capacity as administrator, and she misled the Dail. She must resign. Yours, etc.,
Palace East, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.