Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I understand, in respect of the Senator's comments, that there are two issues in regard to the deputy Garda Commissioner. An issue arose in the past number of months which was raised by those seeking to apply to a particular position. As I have said, a memo responding to that came before Cabinet today in respect of undertaking a review of a particular threshold. I have no doubt the review will be concluded in the summer. Minister McGrath will respond to that.

In terms of the system, I am not sure where the Senator is suggesting the gap is. The selection criteria, in terms of how somebody with a security background or a particular person should be appointed to that role, will never be put into primary legislation. That relates to the structure itself. The board, working with PAS, and in consultation with the authority at the direction of the Minister, is where the criteria are set out. If there is a particular position of deputy commissioner where the role includes national security, of course criteria would be set out that any person appointed cannot have any negative impact on that role and cannot impact on security, national or otherwise. That will not be put into primary legislation. That is how is it set out at the moment. I do not think there is a gap, in that sense. The competition is ongoing and we need the process to continue.

Regarding the section and the appointment more generally, we are clearly defining that the authority, which is an amalgamation of the previous policing authority with the inspectorate, would have an oversight mechanism instead of a governance role, which it had previously. There is a shift because it will not deal with governance; the board will. They are, essentially, the changes the section is making and simply reflect the fact that the authority will now be the oversight body and the board will be the governance body, whereas previously the authority took on that role. That is why it started the process of the overall appointment of deputy Garda Commissioner or Commissioner.