Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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I am deeply disappointed with that response. I though the proposal put forward that day was a very good one. What we are trying to achieve here is not just another layer of accountability for the Garda Síochána but to have a policing authority which has real teeth and the power to hold An Garda Síochána to account and which can capture the imagination and, more importantly, the confidence of the public. I would have thought an independent adjudicator, such as a senior member of the Judiciary, a person whom we would respect, put forward by the Chief Justice would fit that role. In the Bill, we are defining what security is, so it is appropriate for a member of the Judiciary to interpret the law. That is what we ask the Judiciary to do every day. I cannot understand why we would not trust a senior member of the Judiciary, which is clearly independent, to look at that area.

The Minister has also referred to the situation in the North. In Britain, one does not just have a police service dealing with security matters, there is a designated security agency, MI5 or MI6 which deals with those matters and is accountable to a committee in Westminster. In relation to security matters, there is no accountability to the Oireachtas. With all due respect, that is a poor comparison to put forward.

I protest in the strongest terms about this decision. I will press the amendment and will table it again on Report Stage. I appeal to the Minister of State and the Minister for Justice and Equality to reflect on this amendment in the spirit it is presented.

I refer to a suggestion not from Sinn Féin but from Conor Brady, a respected former Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commissioner and former editor of The Irish Times, a man respected for his views on policing matters and his proposals are based on his immense experience. I appeal again to the Minister of State to reconsider my amendments and discuss them with the Minister to see if this can be done on Report Stage.