Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

I am not stating that we in this House - both Government and Opposition Deputies - do not have an obligation to show leadership. Reference was made to the fact that the Chamber is often empty. The answer in this regard would be to make the place more work friendly in order that we would not be obliged to spend so much time in our offices. At present, we are obliged to be in our offices to deal with constituents who demand that we do they work they request. We have a constitutional obligation to carry out such work.

I wish to highlight one aspect of the Labour Party's motion. I refer to the proposed extension of the remit of the Freedom of Information Act to the Garda Síochána. The motion does not really qualify what is meant in this regard. I wish to lay down a marker by expressing my absolute opposition to the extension of the remit of that Act to the workings of the Garda Síochána. What is proposed is typical of the Labour Party. When the House dealt with legislation relating to gangland activities last year, that party again showed its deep suspicion of the force and its workings. The Garda Síochána, either in its actions or in its operational efforts to reduce crime, cannot be threatened by the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The latter has no relevance to the force. The Garda would be stymied by an extension of the provisions of the Act to its activities. As a result, crime would increase and the force would be less likely to seek prosecutions or go the extra mile to investigate crimes.

The excellent Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission investigates any alleged wrongdoing within the force. It does a fantastic job in that regard. One sometimes hears about any matters arising in respect of the Garda on the news. Such matters are referred to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. If, as is often the case, details are not provided, people must understand that this is just standard procedure and is not necessarily something bad. It is not my intention to excuse any abuses which occurred in the past or which may be happening at present. However, the Garda must not be stymied in its efforts to control crime in my constituency. It is extremely unfortunate that those on the left in this country always appear to be intent on stymying the efforts of our police force.

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