Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

To follow on from what Deputy Kenny said about the ombudsman, and what the Minister said, I did notice a case recently where a nurse in the hospital in Kerry was dissatisfied with the nature of a Garda complaint. She appealed to the ombudsman and she was not happy with the response. Since then, the Garda has reopened an investigation. Perhaps there is a difficulty with independence. Are there plans to recruit more investigators from overseas? I ask because it is unsatisfactory for an inspector or a superintendent from a neighbouring district to conduct an investigation. Whether an investigation is done properly, there is the perception sometimes that it is not fully independent. Are there plans to recruit investigators from abroad?

Finally, I see that the budget for the Office of the Inspector of Prisons is increasing but there still is no complaints system in place. Are there plans to introduce a complaints system from within the prisons?