Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Okay. GSOC is very much dependent on the co-operation of the Garda. I do not want to go back into the case because the GSOC representatives went through it at length with Deputy Carthy, but because GSOC depends on that level of co-operation and assistance from An Garda Síochána, it would seem that it is possible in some cases for the hands of its staff to be tied. In other words, Commissioner Hume used the term on a number of occasions that something was “beyond our control”. Due to the fact that the people involved in a lot of this are one reach away, they could actually hold GSOC staff up and tie their hands if they were minded to do so. Is that fair to say?