Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was sorry to hear on the radio this morning about the garda being shot. It is horrific for him and everyone involved with him. Believe it or not, I know a lot of gardaí and I understand how they feel about each other. I extend my condolences to them.

I, too, will be brief. We asked a lot of questions at the previous meeting. As Deputy Clare Daly outlined, we were not very happy with the responses we received. The common themes and conclusions in the report were: inadequate and inconsistent performance management; a deficit of accountability throughout the Garda Síochána; management that failed to ensure that adequate processes, training and supervision were in place; and a culture that displayed a casual approach to data, which is obviously linked to the fact that it is now so difficult to hold people to account. In cost-benefit terms, it is considered too expensive to hold people to account because the data have been so poor. What we find mind-boggling is that the phrases "I didn’t know" and "I didn’t ask" featured on the previous occasion. We spoke to many members of the Garda Síochána - of all ranks - before the report came out. They told us what was happening. They knew what was happening and they were able to tell us. When we come to the committee and put the questions to the witnesses, however, they deny knowing anything about it. This is not rocket science. If the witnesses did not know anything about it, the obvious question is why that is the case, particularly as they are running the organisation. If they did know, they are pulling the wool over our eyes. We do not know the answer. All we know is that the witnesses do not need us to tell them that their organisation is being questioned as to how it is being managed.

The majority of people in this country still think the average garda is a good guy. I can say for a fact that I would prefer to be dealing with the police in Ireland than in Italy or France. The ordinary members of the Garda Síochána are seriously upset and angry in many cases about how the organisation is run. The witnesses are the people who are running it. We have been challenging some of the Garda Commissioners because we felt they were not doing the job properly. We like to think that the boss should be in charge and take responsibility but from what we can see, that is not what happens. In the context of the absolute shambles of the inflated breath-testing statistics and those relating to checkpoints, I do not accept that it is so difficult to hold people to account on foot of the fact that there are so many issues and people involved. My feeling is that the people who run the organisation must surely take more responsibility. That is not happening, however. The witnesses are in denial rather than it being a case of putting their hands up and saying it goes back to senior management because that is where it starts. There are not so many senior managers that they could not be held to account. Perhaps someone might clarify the situation.