Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Will the Minister of State do the right thing and ditch the idea of a private industry funding a section of An Garda Síochána? We heard the Garda Commissioner discuss Garda concerns about this. The Minister of State should do the right thing and ensure his Government colleagues support what this committee is seeking, namely, a publicly funded fraud squad within the Garda. It is ridiculous that we do not have a fraud squad in the Garda at the end of 2018. We have raised this matter year after year. We have heard from the industry and others. No prosecutions are being brought when the courts clearly find that claims are fraudulent. The false claimants walk out the door of the court. Why would they not when there is no fraud squad in the Garda Síochána to deal with fraudulent insurance claims?

The Government has complicated the issue by throwing in this idea that, for the first time, the Garda would be funded by private industry. It should instead do the right thing and send a letter or make a call to the Garda Commissioner informing him that the Government stands foursquare behind him. Fraud is a serious issue, although not the only issue facing the insurance sector. The Government should tell the Commissioner that it make the resources necessary available to him if he wants to establish a fraud squad forthwith. Why does it not do that?