Updated 10.35

A member of the Oireachtas Justice Committee says his colleagues should have called Alan Shatter's top civil servant to answer questions.

The Committee last night decided to hold off deciding whether Brian Purcell should be brought in, until the Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the Garda Tapes publishes its terms of reference.

Members of the Justice Committee want the Fennelly Inquiry to include the circumstances of Martin Callinan's departure as Garda Commissioner.

Independent TD Finian McGrath told Newstalk's Breakfast he is disappointed with Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin committee members for parking the issue for a week:

Deputy McGrath says the Committee got legal advice to suggest they were not allowed to request the Attorney General attend a meeting, but there was nothing to stop them calling in Secretary General Brian Purcell or former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan. Finian McGrath says that didn't happen because none of the other committee members supported his wish to call Callinan and Purcell.

Security Editor at the Irish Independent, Tom Brady, told Newstalk's Breakfast a little bit about the Secretary General, including the fact that during his early career he took on the gangster the criminal, and was badly injured in a shooting:

As for his work at the Department of Justice, Tom Brady says Brian Purcell is a low key figure who has a good relationship with his Minister. But he says there are serious questions to be answered about why Mr. Purcell didn't pass on Martin Callinan's letter of March 10th to the Minister for 15 days:

Destruction of tapes

Meanwhile, a Cabinet Minister says there is "absolutely no suggestion" that any of the garda tapes have been intentionally destroyed.

Joan Burton's comments come amid reports that the Commission of Investigation was set up because Ministers feared that "someone in the guards" wanted them to be erased.

Sources within the gardaí deny that's the case - and a letter from former Commissioner Martin Callinan to the Department of Justice's top civil servant last month show he asked for advice on what to do with them.

Minister Joan Burton says she doesn't believe there was any intentional effort to destroy the recordings: