Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

There are many issues to be monitored. The operation of the ombudsman commission has been an absolute and utter failure and it has not in any way given accountability and oversight of the Garda. This is evident from the fact that the level of prosecutions arising out of the complaints since its inception has been less than 0.5%.

I am familiar with a case where the protocols in place are being breached by the gardaí who are under investigation and the ombudsman's office has told me that this is normal, for example, where items such as requests for a duty roster for the station for that day have been outstanding for 48 days and require multiple requests from the ombudsman in order to get an answer, presumably leading to extra cost and delays. These are cases that go on for months.

It is clear from many matters that have been in the public domain, not least the penalty points investigation, that the idea of gardaí investigating themselves is a nonsense. We believe that the Minister received that report. We do not know where it is, but what is entered in the media is enough to let us know that it begins with, "Once upon a time," and ends up with, "happily ever after". However, we would like to see it. We would like to see the Minister engaging in real, independent scrutiny of the Garda because public confidence is at an all-time low.

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