The Disclosures Tribunal has heard it took six months for Tusla to apologise to Sergeant Maurice McCabe for sending a letter to him about a false rape allegation.

The Tribunal is examining if incorrect allegations were made against the Garda whistleblower to try and discredit him.

A social care worker with Tusla Kay McLoughlin told the Tribunal she wrote a letter to Maurice McCabe - in late 2015 - saying an allegation of digital penetration or rape had been made against him.

She accepted she had been told by a superior not to write this letter until she had assessed the credibility of the allegation - but she did so anyway, believing Sgt McCabe should be afforded the chance to respond.

The Tribunal has already heard this completely false rape allegation against Maurice McCabe had been made following a copy and paste error by someone else.

Ms McLoughlin accepted it was inappropriate for her to send the letter, and said she deeply regretted it and the upset it caused the McCabe family.

She said she was keen to issue an apology when she found out the allegation was false and a mistake.

Sgt McCabe’s legal team said it took Tusla six months to issue this apology and it was terse, uninformative and offered no explanation as to what had happened.