Mr. Tony McGillicuddy:

Whatever legislation is introduced, if we have a Garda authority, it will mean an overhaul of the 2005 Act. Given that the Oireachtas has only a certain amount of precious time it should use it properly. In the Bar Council submission we outlined that the committee needs to get the results of those reviews together, to put the pieces on a table and ask what things have been identified along with whatever super structure is to be put in place. If some legislation is put in place now, more legislation will have to be put in place in six months time, and some more legislation in the following six months. Our view is that a holistic approach is needed. There is a need to find out the experience abroad in areas where there are police authorities, what structures are in place, what has worked and what has not worked, otherwise the problems will arise in five years' time. As I said at the beginning, this is a relatively new piece of legislation and, according to what the other contributors have said, is under significant stress within ten years. The task of the Oireachtas should be that irrespective of whether it is the Garda Síochána Act 2014 or 2015, it should not be under the same stress within ten years.