Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and his officials for their attendance. I commend him on one issue which he has not mentioned. This committee had, for a long while, advocated that the Minister abide by the recommendations in respect of the Magdalen laundries made by the Ombudsman and in the reports prepared previously by Mr. Justice Quirke. I acknowledge that the Minister ultimately followed the recommendations of the Ombudsman and he deserves to be commended on doing so. Last week, he and I attended a very successful event in the Mansion House which was, I understand, funded by the Department. That deserves to be acknowledged because it was a very worthwhile evening.

On Garda oversight and accountability, since we last met the Minister, evidence was given to the committee by two civilian members of the Garda statistics office in which they indicated their work had been - this is putting it neutrally - obstructed or not fully supported by the investigative side of An Garda Síochána. Is the Minister aware of that evidence and was he concerned about what this committee heard?