Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the members of An Garda Síochána for their attendance. I share the sentiment of other members in extending my best wishes to the garda who was injured and I echo the articulate comments of Deputy Brophy on the risks taken by members of the Garda in their service to the public. I commend the Garda on the considerable successes that have been achieved against organised crime in recent weeks and months, although some of the recent murders illustrate the scale of the challenge.

I have a number of questions across a number of areas. I want to support the disappointment and frustration of Deputies Clare Daly and Wallace in regard to the point on whether the figures on checkpoints were inflated or were recorded as having taken place when they had not taken place. These committee meetings are not an exact science but certain inferences are drawn. When a representative of An Garda Síochána tells us that there is no evidence of that happening, we take it that the position of An Garda Síochána is that it did not happen. That is civil servant-speak or official-speak for "We believe 99% that this did not happen". It would have been open to the witnesses to state it was plausible or was a matter they were considering or looking into but that is not what was said. What was simply said was there is no evidence of it. That is then clearly contradicted by what is in the Crowe Horwath report. It may have been the case that there was no evidence but in the context of a new start for policing, full transparency and honesty, and all the rest, I think it would have been open to them to state it was a live possibility or was something they were considering or looking into. It gives a misleading impression if we are simply told there is no evidence of it and that is it, full stop.

Following on from Dr. Geoffrey Shannon's report, which contained considerable criticisms, I have a number of questions and I ask the witnesses to answer them as briefly and as much to the point as possible. There were a number of specific points about the manner in which data were recorded and the ongoing engagement with Tusla in regard to cases under the Child Care Act. Is it possible to get an update on the improvement of the data systems and the engagement with Tusla?