Mr. Hugh Hume:

If I am correct, the Senator is referring to the fact that in 2021, there were 55 referrals and in 2022, there were 41. It might be useful to unpick what a referral is. When we talk about referrals, we are talking about referrals under section 102 of the Act, where a death or serious harm has occurred. These are some of the most tragic and challenging investigations that GSOC is called to encounter. Lives have been changed forever and loved ones have been taken from people. Those cases come to us when the Garda Commissioner, which in practice means a superintendent, makes a decision that the death or serious harm of an individual may have been as a result of the conduct of a member of An Garda Síochána. That is where referrals come about. They follow a death in custody, a suicide following a period in custody or any case where a superintendent says the actions of a Garda member may have led to that. There is nothing we can see, looking at the types and causes of referrals, to indicate that any systemic, organisational or environmental factors have caused this change over the two years. Last year was an especially busy year. We cannot see any underlying factors for the change at this time.