Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The reasons for replacing this Government mount by the day. The Morris report and the Government's wholly inadequate response to it will come to be seen as one of the tipping issues which will clarify voters' minds as to why this Government must go. The Morris report outlines a litany of failure of management, absence of accountability and, crucially, absence of leadership on the part of senior management of the Garda Síochána, which is frightening in any democratic society.

The harassment, intimidation and persecution of the McBrearty family could have been stopped at any stage, from superintendent, to assistant commissioner and Commissioner levels, but it was not. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform failed utterly, both as Attorney General and as Minister, to respond adequately and give leadership to the Department and Garda Síochána senior management. He is now running for cover by presenting sweeping changes to the Garda Síochána Bill, many of which will never be debated in this House.

I want to draw to the attention of the House to amendment No. 36 in the name of the Minister. This amendment will basically give the Secretary General of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform the power of access on demand to Garda files on any and every person, place, body or thing. This is an extraordinary, draconian power that the Minister is taking for himself and his Secretary General. Recently, we had occasion to revisit Fianna Fáil's murky past of phone tapping, obstruction of justice and obstruction of the Garda. The Minister, Deputy McDowell, asked the public to put him in Government to be a watchdog on Fianna Fáil. His response to the Morris report, in the additional powers he has sought, may further damage the Garda Síochána and public trust in the force.

There is a crisis of policing here and total under provision of community policing, particularly in urban areas. Gardaí must regain the respect of the general public. There is a fear among many members of the public, including many young people, of being wrongly picked on by individual gardaí and of having no recourse. We must ask whether Donegal is typical and how many other similar situations exist.

We have seen the pattern for reform set by Patten and by Nuala O'Loan in her performance of the job of ombudsman. We have a body of gardaí who have given dedicated service and who operate to the highest standards of integrity. Their reputation and capacity to serve the community, as they have done since the foundation of the State, is being undermined by this Government and its shallow, pathetic response to police reform.

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