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

The Minister will be aware I have put down several parliamentary questions on Forensic Science Ireland. My understanding is that it has embarked on a second recruitment campaign in recent years. The previous one met some difficulties because applicants did not have previous experience reflected in their pay and conditions and other similar considerations. Is the Minister satisfied with the level of recruitment to Forensic Science Ireland with this current campaign?

I am not familiar with the proposal for a merger with the Garda technical bureau. Will Forensic Science Ireland be entirely incorporated with the technical bureau?

Several months ago, I asked at the committee whether a decision support service could actually be delivered within 2018. There was some hesitancy as to whether it was possible. Can a decision support service be delivered by 2018? If not, it is disappointing, given that it relates to legislation which is now three years old and is closely related to Ireland ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

There has been considerable discussion about the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC. The Minister said he has allocated an additional €300,000 to the commission. GSOC has clearly made the case in correspondence to the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, correspondence which is in the public domain, that it needs €900,000 to conduct its business properly, particularly regarding protected disclosures. In general, GSOC is underfunded.

Yesterday we discussed the incident in Omeath. I relayed to the Minister that GSOC had clearly said that it did not have the capacity to get to that case at any time soon, and it was on that basis that I called for a public inquiry. GSOC is generally underfunded, and it is struggling with protected disclosures especially. A properly investigated and supported protected disclosure is far cheaper than a tribunal or a commission of investigation. GSOC believes the funding that has been provided is clearly inadequate. How does the Minister respond to that? Does he intend to address this?

The funding for a SAVI 2 report will likely fall under this head. The Minister and the Government were considering that and a scoping document has been commissioned. What is the status of this document? When will it be concluded and when will we learn of a decision based on its report?