Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will finish shortly but my next question relates to accountability. In the Dáil and elsewhere we hear the Government regularly speak about the Policing Authority doing X, Y and Z while in the last hour and a half we have heard the witnesses from the Policing Authority refer a great deal to the power of the Minister. Do the witnesses feel the Policing Authority is being used to outsource responsibility and accountability by the Government when perhaps, from what the witnesses said to us, they are not necessarily exercising the legislative powers they might have? Do they feel there is a circular approach here where there are so many organisations around policing now that everybody is passing the buck? Do the witnesses believe there is accountability anywhere at senior levels across all elements between the Government and the public service? For example, when Deputy Clare Daly asked about the Garda Commissioner, the witness said that the Garda Commissioner has personal accountability to the Minister, while in the legislative area there is mention of accountability links with the Policing Authority.

I have a concern that there is a circular issue here where everybody is passing the buck. We might not have a Garda Commissioner now and when we get into next year there will be a policing commission report. Will we see the substantive changes that are needed? Who will grasp the issues and take the approach to accountability that is required? Does the authority have concerns that it is being used as an additional arm of the Government, through the Government's own speech? When issues regarding the Garda are raised in the Dáil we regularly hear the Government say that it has established the Policing Authority and that the work is ongoing there. Does the authority feel that the current policing architecture matches that political speech or does it feel that it is being scapegoated or being thrown an outsourced responsibility when, perhaps, on a legislative basis it might not have that responsibility? The witnesses have mentioned throughout the day that the current legislative measure is not directly for the authority. Does the witness wish to respond to that?