Mr. Martin Callinan:

I will give a very brief response. I did not go into this in any great detail but as Senator Zappone will be aware, we had the sixth European LGB conference in Dublin Castle some months ago and I spoke at that, as did the Minister. We articulated our views very clearly in terms of the expectation from within and how management and colleagues should view people's orientations. As the Senator knows, we are apolitical and that includes respecting people's right to practice whatever religion, etc., they wish. We have rules and regulations, as one would expect, and there are ethical standards we are required to meet but given from where we have come, no more than any other organisation, we are learning and becoming more responsive and more aware of issues that surround these issues and, in that way, becoming more facilitating in terms of people's expectations.

There have been cases, as I am sure the Senator is aware, where we have had to take disciplinary measures against people who have crossed the line. It is a work in progress and we respect people's rights at all levels and all values beyond those parameters of ensuring there are standards in place to which we have to adhere as police men and women.