Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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I thank the representatives from An Garda Síochána for coming. I offer my sympathy to the family of the late Detective Superintendent Colm Fox and his colleagues.

I do not want to repeat points made by others, but there are two issues, the first of which is the recording and classification of homicides, while the second is the internal review. There is no doubt that the misclassification of a homicide is probably one of the worst things that could be envisaged for the people affected.

We have met them over the years. There are plenty of them and they formed the background of the cases which went to the independent review mechanism which the previous Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, established. They were people who have lived for decades with dissatisfaction around investigations into homicide matters where they never received closure. That the most serious crime imaginable could be misclassified and, potentially, not investigated properly is a hugely traumatic experience for people who have lost loved ones.

In April 2017 when the story initially raised its head, Deputy Commissioner Twomey said there were some minor issues as to the classification of some homicides. We learned in February this year that 89 road deaths over 14 years were not classified on PULSE and had to be reclassified while 12 cases of domestic homicide over a two-year period had to be reclassified. Does senior Garda management continue to stand over the comment that these issues are minor?