Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

Like the Deputy, I read the Sunday Tribune story's suggestion that serving and former members of the Garda Síochána had abused their positions to favour one insurance company by giving it access to information held within the force's official records. When I read that story I was gravely concerned and in a moment I will tell the House the actions I took on foot of it. First, however, I want to say that of course it would be a breach of the Official Secrets Act and the Data Protection Act for any garda to engage in that behaviour. It would also be a breach of Garda discipline and simple, straightforward ethics for any garda to behave in that way.

When I read that story, therefore, I regarded it as a matter of the utmost gravity. When I saw the particular document on which the story was based, my concern rose because if that document were genuine one could only conclude that a very serious scandal had been in position for some time and was being exulted in by people who were party to it. I contacted the Garda Commissioner and my Department has also had a number of contacts with the Commissioner. The Garda Commissioner shares my view that the allegations in that article were of the utmost gravity concerning an abuse of position. They will be treated as such and inquired into fully.

In fairness to the insurance company in question — I am referring to the article in the Sunday Tribune, with which I am most concerned — I should say that as far as I understand, it is claiming that the document is a forgery, was concocted to embarrass it and has no substance whatsoever. Either it is a forgery or it is not.

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