Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Please do. I want us to go back now to a conversation we had the last time the Commissioner was here in respect of the whistleblowers and the sequence of events as they unfolded. The Commissioner said repeatedly here that there are appropriate forums in which a member of An Garda Síochána can bring forward concerns or allegations. This, of course, is what happened in March 2012, when two serving officers came forward with concerns and allegations in regard to wrongdoing in the writing off of penalty points. We know that in July of that year - the Comptroller and Auditor General reiterated it this morning - a member of An Garda Síochána approached his office. We know that in August 2012, a similar approach was made to the CEO of the Road Safety Authority. We know that in the autumn of 2012, approaches were made to Members of the Oireachtas and that the public focus on these matters came at that time.

On his last visit here, the Commissioner told me, and repeated it today, that these matters came to his attention in December. I have never heard from the Commissioner, or anybody else, an explanation as to why it took from March until December, not alone for these matters to come to his attention from the confidential recipient, but for any action to be taken. Will the Commissioner explain that delay to me today?