Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

As part of a general review of the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 last year, the extension of the Act to An Garda Síochána was considered. That consideration involved an examination of all factors relevant to the governance, oversight and accountability of An Garda Síochána. Since the passage of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, An Garda Síochána and the regulatory and administrative landscape in which it operates have been undergoing massive change. The Garda Ombudsman Commission was established. The Garda inspectorate was established and it has produced three reports with major implications for the structure and operation of the force. In the past year the senior civilian management positions of chief administrative officer and director of communications were created. More civilians are being recruited for key posts as legal adviser, director of information and communications technology and director of change management.

At the same time, the ranks of attested members and the numbers of civilian staff have been expanded. In light of this extensive and fast-moving change, it was decided that to extend the FOI Act to the Garda at this time would place an excessive administrative burden on the its resources as the force continues to discharge its challenging core duties, in particular that of tackling crime. For all these reasons it was decided not to extend the FOI Act to An Garda Síochána at this time, but to keep the matter under review. In this regard, I intend to be guided by the overall public interest which lies in maintaining an appropriately accountable police force which is not distracted from its key tasks of safeguarding public safety and security.

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