Ms Helen Hall:

Absolutely. First of all, even in our very early days, when we first got our functions in 2016, we thought that information and data were incredibly important not only for public policy but also for the oversight of the Garda. This goes back to Deputy Hourigan's earlier questions about indicators and so on. We are responsible for appointments of very senior Garda staff as well as other Garda members. We recommended the appointment of a chief information officer, who has been in place for a number of years.

As for the matter of homicides I was talking to Deputy Carthy about a few moments ago, some of that came to light initially, back in 2016 and 2017, through the classification of homicides as to whether incidents were being appropriately classified and whether that had an impact on the quality of investigations. That was an element of it and it was a very concerning one. We had a deeper concern about the quality of the investigations. The argument is that if a sudden death is not treated as a homicide, will it get the resources it should get in respect of investigation? The matter of homicides was a critical part of and a really important link into the data.

We meet regularly with the CSO. Going back to the Vice Chairman's original question about whether we are concerned about the reservation, I think the Garda has made a significant number of changes and improvements in the past three or four years, particularly on data. It has invested heavily in the Garda information services centre, GISC. It receives the data in Ballina, records the data on PULSE and owns the quality of that, taking some of the burden off gardaí who are out in the middle of the night. They can dial into GISC. That is one area where we want to make sure there are sufficient resources. I think it will take a number of years for that reservation to disappear, but our interaction with the CSO would indicate that it is quite satisfied that the Garda is making good progress in the right direction. Something like the CAD 999 issue last year might push things back a little because there are concerns there about classifications and things not getting on PULSE. If I were sitting in the CSO, that might make me a little wary. I will ask my colleague, Ms Tumelty, to chip in on this. The plan, as I understand it, is that the CSO, before it lifts that reservation, will do a detailed review of quality. Could Ms Tumelty add when that will happen?