Mr. Martin Callinan:

It is extraordinarily unfair that this position is now evolving. I am the Accounting Officer of An Garda Síochána. I am the person answerable to the committee, the Minister and the Government in respect of revenue streams and efficiencies and processes within the system. There are ample fora within An Garda Síochána if an individual or individuals have issues that they wish to highlight in terms of reporting matters of wrongdoing. I think it is grossly unfair that this situation has evolved. I certainly do not want to interfere with the important work of this committee. I want to make that perfectly clear. The committee has lots of things to consider but I cannot, in all fairness, have a situation where members of An Garda Síochána are coming in and making very serious allegations of a criminal nature - and a disciplinary nature - and using a platform such as this committee to air their grievances, without my having a response. I have not seen any material the committee has. It is grossly unfair. I should have an opportunity to deal with this situation and make very cogent arguments if that is what the committee would require of me to make in advance of people coming in here and - let us put our cards on the table - airing certain matters. I will not say they are pursing a particular agenda but they may very well be misguided in terms of the state of the information they feel the have.