Mr. Derek Mullen:

I will address that, if I may. We have made it clear that what we see as overreach in this draft legislation is a problem for us. All civil servants are held to a very high standard. That is the important point. How do we police that? Going back to the Senator’s previous question, there is a requirement in any investigative process that may lead to a disciplinary charge against a civil servant that that would be disclosed. I do not think that differs across the Civil Service, even in respect of members in An Garda Síochána. Looking at the various policies I spoke about earlier, and those policies are ignored to a great extent in terms of what is on the table before us, it is abundantly clear the people we represent can be brought up on disciplinary charges where they are in breach of any aspect of their employment. That can include sanction up to and including dismissal. That has happened from time to time, whether in An Garda Síochána or any other Civil Service Department. Our view is nothing additional is needed over and beyond what is there for civil servants. The standard is high. The standard should be high for civil servants. Any breach of those standards should be capable of being dealt with in a strong fashion. We have no difficulty with that.