Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to begin by saying how glad I am that I always respond promptly to Deputy Ross when he contacts me about any matter. I will begin with a few points and some questions. I acknowledge that of all the witnesses before the Committee of Public Accounts, An Garda Síochána is unique in that its members put at risk their personal safety while unarmed to keep our country safe. I acknowledge all the great work the Commissioner and his colleagues do across all the stations throughout the country, which I see every day.

In respect of discretion and the incentives behind producing the report that is the subject of discussion, I firmly believe the Garda should be allowed to maintain discretion in the implementation of certain parts of our law. It would be a regressive step if we got to the point where the only people capable of implementing discretion in our country in respect of these issues were the judges and the only way of dealing with matters of discretion would be to go to court. The issue concerns how we track that discretion and its visibility and accountability. The incentives for the witnesses over there were to produce a report that laid out the facts in respect of the penalty points issue. It is my judgement that this has been done. It is up to other people to decide what they do with those facts.

The two main issues I wish to focus on are the Garda roster, which was the subject of much discussion in previous hearings, and motor tax. I will begin with my colleagues in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. What is the level of evasion with regard to motor tax?