Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witness for her presentation. I am conscious of the fact that the Policing Authority is at its infancy stage and I would be the first to admit that I feel that it does not have as much power as it should have. I argued very strongly for as much in the Chamber when the legislation was going through the House.

In the witness's statement of strategy, she pointed out that she is keeping on a review the performance of An Garda Síochána, of its functions, the arrangements and strategies in place to support and enhance the performance of these functions and the mechanisms in place within An Garda Síochána for the measurement of performance and accountability of members and staff. The witness will be familiar with the fact that the O'Higgins report raised serious concerns about the role of the Garda Commissioner in efforts to undermine the credibility of whistleblower Maurice McCabe. It is clear from the report that if Maurice McCabe had not taped the meeting in Mullingar, he would probably have been thrown under the bus. How much has the Policing Authority progressed in addressing that concern? I wonder if it has the teeth to hold the Commissioner to account.

The witness made the point that the Policing Authority has access to the Minister and it is an open door. I believe that emphasises the point that the authority is a preacher of the Minister. I see it as being unfortunate that the authority is not a more independent body as well as being independent of the Commissioner. Does the witness agree with that?

To return to the Garda inspectorate report, I am very aware of the fact that the Policing Authority has too much on its plate. I do not know how well-resourced it is to deal with the challenges that face it. The Garda Commissioner committed to implementing the broad principals that were contained in that Garda inspectorate report but not to the 200 recommendations. Where does that sit?

Deputy Daly touched on the issue of promotions, which is a huge problem and challenge to get right. We have had a lot of contact with members of the force in the last few years. One of the most striking things that has come our way is the fact that so many good gardaí struggle to rise up the ladder. We are equally shocked by the number of gardaí who have reached the high table who have been engaged in poor practice at different stages along the way. We are aware at the moment of some members who are on the promotion list. There is a person at No. 14 who I will not name who is actually under investigation. It beggars belief from our point of view. I do not see how things are going to change if we are going to see this being tolerated. How much of a handle is the Policing Authority going to be able to get in this area? How much is the authority going to be able to hold the Commissioner to account in terms of who she does and does not promote? I will leave it at that.