File 5 - Role of President Part 5

127pp

Material relating to an invite from The Ford Foundation to President Mary Robinson to serve as co-chair of an Independent Working Group on the Future of the United Nations, the Irish Government's refusal based on legal advice from the Attorney General, and subsequent correspondence relating to MR seeking out independent legal advice. It includes two copies of official Legal Opinion (Querist: "The President of Ireland Mrs Mary Robinson, Subject: "The function and role of the President under the provisions of the Constitution", signed by Mr Frank Clarke, SC [Senior Counsel], and Mr Gerry Durcan, Barrister at Law, 17/01/1994; two copies of Supplementary Legal Opinion (subject: The validity of a decision of the Government that the President should not accept an invitation to serve as co-chair of an Independent Working Group on the Future of the United Nations", signed by Clarke and Durcan, 17/01/1994; drafts of opinions with notation; correspondence between Peter Ryan (PR), Secretary to the President and Frank Murray (FM), Secretary to the Government in relation to the Legal Opinion of 17th January and requesting final decision on invite, 17-20/01/1994; correspondence between Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dick Spring, and MR including drafts, in relation to Government's decision not to allow MR accept invitation, 20/01/1994; briefing note with notations for meeting with Taoiseach, 21/01/1994; photocopies of correspondence between PR and FM in relation to and including transcripts of comments and questions in the Dáil on the controversy, and photocopies of articles in the press, 17-24/02/1994.

Ref: P143/4/15/5

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