Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

——and we can have a good debate on it.

To answer Deputy Cuffe's question, of course, it was a mistake to put that person on the board. I do not know precisely why that mistake happened. It was a mistake that will not be repeated. I spoke to the Commissioner about it and he shares my view and surprise it happened. It may have been an innocent blunder rather than anything sinister. Clearly, it had the potential to harm the reserve.

It was not a question of this person being sent out to recruit people for the force. It was a person deciding whether people were suitable to be in the Garda Síochána. Even then, it is not an acceptable situation that this controversy arose. With a minimum of circumspection, the situation would have been avoided.

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