Counsel for members of the 2014 Public Accounts Committee has told the High Court it has no jurisdiction to grant the reliefs sought by Angela Kerins.

The former CEO of the Rehab Group is seeking damages and wants her name removed from the record of a hearing she attended in February 2014.

She believes the committee members acted outside their powers by asking her about her €240,000 salary and bonus payments.

Paul Gallagher, who is acting for PAC, has told the court their “utterances” are protected by the Irish Constitution.

He also agreed that it does not matter if those utterances are “completely untrue” or whether they “bruise, wound or destroy”.