(1) In this section, 'Committee' means a Committee appointed by either House of the Oireachtas or jointly by both Houses of the Oireachtas (other than the Committee on Public Accounts, the Committee on Members' Interests of Dáil Éireann or the Committee on Members' Interests of Seanad Éireann) or a sub-committee of such a Committee.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), the chairperson shall, at the request in writing of a Committee, attend before it to give account for the general administration of the Authority.

(3) The chairperson shall not be required to give account before a Committee for any matter which is or has been or may at a future time be the subject of proceedings before a court or tribunal.

(4) Where the chairperson is of the opinion that a matter in respect of which he or she is requested to give an account before a Committee is a matter to which subsection (3) applies, he or she shall inform the Committee of that opinion and the reasons for the opinion and, unless the information is conveyed to the Committee at a time when the chairperson is before it, the information shall be so conveyed in writing.