Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is something horribly familiar about the committee examining another Garda report with apologies for incorrect figures, etc. It is important to note that this was happening on the watch of the Commissioner's predecessors, Ms Nóirín O'Sullivan and Mr. Dónall Ó Cualáin, at a time when scrutiny, information and accountability were centre stage. That is a little scary. In that context, I suppose what screams out at me is the tiny print at the bottom and the last remark that this is an interim report, and all figures are provisional. I am reminded of the 1 million breath tests that became 2 million. I am reminded of Mr. John Twomey coming in and telling us there were some minor issues about the classification of homicides, which turned out not to be in the least bit minor. This is an interim report, yet the Garda first identified the issue in 2014 and did a scoping exercise in 2017.

Is that not enough time to produce a final report? What assurance can Mr. Harris provide the committee that there will not be a 50% or 100% increase from the figures in the interim report, as was the case previously?