The former Dublin city and county manager, Mr George Redmond, is to be called next Monday as a witness at the Flood planning tribunal. The following week Mr Joseph Murphy snr will give evidence by video-link from the Channel Islands.
In a schedule of witnesses issued yesterday by the tribunal, it is planned that all witnesses will be heard over the next five weeks.
The chairman, Mr Justice Flood, said yesterday during a hearing about discovery of documents there would be a major effort to conclude this module of the tribunal. This relates to allegations made by Mr James Gogarty about payments to Mr Ray Burke.
Mr Murphy, founder of the Murphy Group in Ireland and Britain, now living in retirement in Guernsey, is expected to take all of the week starting on September 28th for his evidence. He is in his 80s and not in good health.
The chairman said the tribunal had been asked to make "a major effort" to facilitate Mr Murphy for the forthcoming hearing.
Among those giving evidence during the coming weeks will be Mr Joseph Murphy jnr, Mr Thomas Bailey, a director of Bovale, and JMSE witnesses, Mr Frank Reynolds, Mr Roger Copsey, Mr Tim O'Keeffe and Mr John Maher.
However, during yesterday's hearing about discovery of documents from the Murphy Group, Ms Patricia Dillon, counsel for the tribunal, warned that in the absence of certain documents some witness evidence might have to be postponed.
Ms Dillon referred to a discovery order relating to the whereabouts and travel arrangements of Mr Murphy jnr and documents, communications, bank records and appointment diaries dated May and June 1989.
"It is proposed in three weeks' time to take the evidence of Mr Murphy jnr. In the absence of these documents, it may very well be that any such public sitting may have to be postponed due to circumstances entirely beyond the control of the tribunal," she said.
The same situation applied to documents relating to Mr Frank Reynolds, of the Murphy Group.
Mr Michael Fitzsimons, solicitor for the Murphy Group, was called to the witness box to be asked about documents. He said he had been in constant contact with Mr Murphy jnr about the orders made by the chairman relating to the documents last July. Neither he nor his staff were in contact with Mr Murphy snr.
Mr Dan Herbert SC, for the Murphy Group, said they had the contemporaneous notes made by Mr Murphy jnr of a telephone conversation with Mr Dermot Ahern TD. They would give a copy of this document to the tribunal immediately.
As to the rest of the documents, it was only a question of getting the affidavits done which would explain the position relating to each document requested. He could not see why an attempt should not be made within a week to have the affidavits done.
The chairman said the order was issued on July 14th and was a matter for Mr Herbert's office to go through the documents and respond by August 3rd. He would make a finding that there had been non-compliance with the discovery orders, but he would take no action by way of issuing proceedings of enforcement if there had been a major effort by close of business next Monday.
Mr Herbert said he was going to insist that there be compliance and if there was an item missing that would be stated.
The tribunal was adjourned until next Monday.