Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

Throughout the debate on this Bill, both in public and private, there has been a radical failure on the part of those who support an independent police authority to come up with any view of how that police authority would relate to this House and to the notion of ministerial accountability.

The second aspect of Deputy Ó Snodaigh's proposal is that the appointment of deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners should be merit-based and subject to a publicly transparent tendering process. I am the first Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to bring before this House a new independent promotions system for every rank in the Garda Síochána. I have been struck by the constant barrage from those who talk about patronage, unfair promotion and so on in the Garda Síochána. There are two species of this line of argument. The first is the contention that it is all based on party politics. It has been argued in this House that the Garda is politically divided and that its internal management is somehow imbued with party politics. The second position is perhaps slightly more credible in its contention that there are internal Garda politics involved in the promotion system and that this is obnoxious and reprehensible.

See this speech in context