Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Murphy has on numerous occasions got to her feet and spoken of the policing issue in Kildare in precisely those terms, so I can vouch for that. It is all set out on her record. I think we are clear as to what is our remit. It is public money and decisions to allocate, spend and discharge public moneys and the associated processes and procedures around that. We are not proposing to stray beyond that, and we need to bring people back before the committee.

I broadly agree with the proposals to bring back those individuals who have been cited but, as my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, said, there must then be some outcome as a result. I have read the report and I will go back and read it again to try to ascertain what kind of systematic application of criteria, if any, was in place and to get under the bonnet of that issue. The reason that is important, including for this committee, is not simply in respect of this particular case study of decision-making, but also lessons that might be learned or advice that might be given regarding how work within the system happens generally. There is a concept used in the North called targeting objective need, and to those right-minded among us it sounds sensible that one would target resources where they are needed. It has not always been straightforward in Northern politics for many different reasons, but we have battled to get that concept embedded in decision-making processes. As I was reading the report, I wondered to myself the extent to which this was about targeting objective need, or indeed the use of census data and so on, so I agree with Deputies Kelly, MacSharry and others that we need another session on this issue. However, I would like it to be a conclusive session shaped in that way around the use of resources and decisions. We should bear in mind that we are not just about counting up the pounds, shillings and pence; we also have a very specific duty and remit in respect of processes and procedures.

By the way, I had asked about the criteria used in the closure of stations and their provenance. I do not think we have had a response to that, although the acting Garda Commissioner said he would get back to us on it. I am broadly in agreement with the caveat that Deputy Cullinane has entered.