A new report has criticised a lack of transparency about who was actually making key decisions for the country during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The study was conducted by a group of legal experts from Trinity College.
It says the National Public Health Emergency Team became the de-facto decision maker rather than advisors to the Government.
The report also says a number of sub-groups set up to examine specific issues during the pandemic disappeared without explanation.
I says some measures were 'perhaps heavy handed'.
Alan Eustace, a Scholar at the Trinity School of Law, says "We were very critical of the transparency around the role of NPHET as a decision-making body, and also of NIAC it should be said.
"Neither are statutory bodies, so it's not set out in law what their role is, how they are to be formed and what sort of considerations they have to take into account.
"We criticise their lack of expertise in some areas."
Assistant Professor in Law at Trinity College Dr Sarah Hamill says the report questions how much power NPHET has.
She says "What we've seen since March 2020 is that there have been some clashes between NPHET and the government. Certainly after December 2020, there was a sense that maybe NPGHET's recommendations were being adopted unquestionably."
