Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

We received and examined a report from the Human Rights Commission. We had a lengthy debate in the Seanad. We had one of the longest Second Stage debates in the history of the Dáil, followed by an extensive Committee Stage debate. The Opposition asked that the two Morris reports be debated before Report Stage. We have done all of those things and the debate is about to conclude.

The amendments set out a new statutory duty to account for members of the Garda Síochána. The Minister has listened at length and conducted a detailed review of all the issues. I can go through the amendments, but I presume it is not necessary with only two minutes to do so. However, they set out to strengthen the Bill's provisions regarding the system of promotions for gardaí and the change in methods of appointment for the new Garda audit committee. They also strengthen the Bill's existing provisions regarding the accountability of the Garda Commissioner, make clear the Commissioner is fully accountable to the Minister, strengthen the Bill's existing provisions obliging the Garda Commissioner to supply the Minister with information of significance relating to policing, and the list goes on, including not only significant issues raised in the Morris report but those the Minister identified through his own consultation and review.

On yesterday's question, I read what the former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy O'Donoghue, and the current Minister, Deputy McDowell, said last week, which I had not done yesterday. The latter outlined the sequence of events regarding the furnishing of information by the gardaí during Friday's debate. He made clear that the then Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy O'Donoghue, behaved impeccably throughout. The Garda Commissioner appointed Assistant Commissioner Carty to examine the handling of the original investigation carried out into the death of Richard Barron. The Assistant Commissioner completed his investigation, which turned out to be extremely complex. He forwarded the file to the DPP for consideration of criminal charges against individual members of the Garda. In August 2000, the then Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Noel Conroy, forwarded to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform a summary of Assistant Commissioner Carty's report. It was clearly felt that, as the Minister pointed out on Friday, no doubt in good faith, it would not be appropriate to forward the full report, as it was central to a criminal case.

The former Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, pointed out in a series of oral parliamentary questions during 2000 and 2001 which he showed me overnight that he had received a report of the investigation from the Garda Deputy Commissioner — not the Carty report, which was the point that Deputy Rabbitte was making yesterday — and had serious concerns about the behaviour of the gardaí in Donegal. In the context of determining what action was appropriate on foot of those serious concerns, the Attorney General repeatedly requested sight of the Carty report, as did the Minister. There was therefore no contradiction in what the two Ministers said last week.

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