Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious that there has always been some degree of tension between whoever is Minister for justice of the day and the Garda representative bodies. Personally, I do not take that aspect of matters seriously. What I do take seriously is that the gardaí do their work well, which is the case, and that I do what I can to be supportive of them in the work they do. That is why I was so disappointed that the two Garda organisations withdrew from the talks process, failed to engage constructively, failed to set out through the aegis of the Labour Relations Commission and its good offices issues of genuine concern to members of the force and failed to do what was necessary to moderate the outcome of negotiations so as to shape them in a manner that may have addressed issues that they believe should have been addressed.

I was not the person during the course of the talks who said anything untoward or to cause upset or distress. I constantly urged both bodies to engage in the talks. I did not respond to some personal abuse and criticism that was voiced at me by members of both associations during the weeks leading to the outcome of the talks. The Deputy can check the record. All he will discover is that I engaged in a number of broadcasts and made a number of statements in the print media urging that the representative associations engage, participate and address the concerns of their members. It is a bitter disappointment to me that they chose not to do so. It is disingenuous that both bodies are now making a presentation to their members to mislead them into believing that they could not have participated because that is far from the truth.

I repeat again what I said earlier, which is that I am always available to meet with the representative bodies to discuss issues of concern to them, but what I cannot do in any such discussions is re-open in any shape or form the outcome of the negotiations that were completed in Lansdowne House in which a number of trade unions and representative bodies fully participated and which have produced an outcome that must now be voted upon by the members of various unions and by those whom the bodies represent. As to whether I will meet with bodies, of course I will. I met with the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, AGSI, in the late autumn. I do not have the date on my file. Had the Garda Representative Association, GRA, been willing to meet with me I would have met it in the autumn period as well.

See this speech in context