Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I believe that Mr. Ó Cualáin will do a good job. I also believe that he deserves a clean slate. Is he ambitious enough, though? I am a business person and I grew my business because I was ambitious. Is Mr. Ó Cualáin here for the short term or the long term? There is nothing wrong with stating that he is ambitious and wants to carry on. I am sure there are others in the force who would love to have the opportunity to be acting Garda Commissioner but he has the opportunity at the moment. He is holding the ace. It is very important for the public to realise that we now have a very ambitious acting Garda Commissioner. I would like to see Mr. Ó Cualáin here for the long haul because switching and swapping is not good. As I said earlier, we need to get it right first time.

This is my first time at this committee and perhaps I am making a statement that is too strong. I do not know Mr. Ó Cualáin very well but I have read about him and have spoken to colleagues about him. I believe he is in a strong position at the moment. People have suggested that we should go outside the organisation to find a new Garda Commissioner but I firmly believe that the person who is doing the job, who wants to do it, who understands it and who wants to get the job done is the person who should get the job. I would not be embarrassed if I were Mr. Ó Cualáin because he has the qualifications and he is entitled to seek the role. Mr. Ó Cualáin should let people know that he is not in here doing a temporary job but that he wants the job permanently. He should be given an opportunity to do his job. The previous Garda Commissioner maintained that she did not get the opportunity to do the job that she was asked to do. I urge Mr. Ó Cualáin to put his stamp down and not to be afraid to tell people what he wants to do. He has a job to do at the moment and the people of Ireland deserve to have the right person in that job. They have a right to feel secure in their homes. They have the right to feel safe. It is about time that An Garda Síochána stops getting kicked down the road and stands up for itself.