Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief. Last week I was really concerned. Based on the knowledge I had up to Thursday, I was really concerned that if we had an inquiry into this matter, it would suggest a lack of confidence in GSOC. GSOC had investigated, reached conclusions, terminated the investigation and had found no definitive evidence of surveillance or of Garda misconduct. Since then I have received all the additional information. We have the "techie" information conflict, there is additional information which I received from GSOC in the 103 report, there is correspondence which I have had with GSOC, and there has been the ongoing public controversy with claim and counterclaim, allegation and counter-allegation. This is debilitating and has an impact on the capacity of GSOC to get on with its work.

There are continuing claims that the Garda Síochána in some way or other had GSOC under surveillance, even though GSOC has said what I have recounted. This has a capacity, if things continue the way they are going, to impact on public confidence in the Garda and GSOC. Some of the people who have accused me of being the cause of all of this are the people who have been raising all of the questions in regard to all of this. Every day there is a new series of questions but the real issues are the additional information that came to me, the conflict in the technical advice and the obvious situation that had arisen whereby it did not seem it would be ensured, without a judge being appointed, that this issue would be finally addressed in a context that people could be assured that the outcome was independent, with no political claims or charges and nobody being accused of being on one side or another. I am on no side. My only interest from the start has been to establish the truth of what happened and the implications for the Garda and GSOC. We must establish whether there was Garda involvement, whether GSOC was compromised, and most important of all, whether GSOC now has the security systems in place necessary to ensure there are no potential threats and that it has the expertise to judge that. The appointment of the judge, based on the way in which this matter developed following on from the hearings before this committee, is the correct decision. I hope it will bring clarity to bear on it. I hope it will not undermine GSOC in the future.