Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses to the committee. It is a very worthwhile exercise. I believe that most people want to respect the Garda and want to work with it. In my time as a local councillor our biggest problem was getting Governments to realise that more resources should be put into An Garda Síochána in order that it could work with us and we could see community gardaí on the ground. I wish I was going through this account with the representatives today and asking them about community policing and the Garda stations throughout the country, especially in Galway, but unfortunately this interim report is taking up our time. It is most unfortunate. I look forward to the day when we can get back to working with the Garda. I preface my questions to the witnesses by saying that I cycled to the bus station on Tuesday and I had a light on the front and back of my bike.

When this report came out, the Commissioner was quoted in the media in January - please tell me if I am wrong:

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan has said there was no misuse of public funds in the management of the Garda College in Templemore. Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke, she was asked about an audit that uncovered financial irregularities ... [The Commissioner said] "My information and what I'm advised is that there is no misappropriation of money or misuse of public monies. I think that's very important. It is accounting practices that by today's standards would not be acceptable, but it does span back and they are legacy issues."

After what we have been through here today and after the report, which I am sure the Commissioner has read, does the Commissioner still stand by that?