Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am speaking to the Bill. That is why the Bill has been introduced. We must have trust from the top down. We must have trust in the Commissioner and the Minister for Justice and Equality, which we do not have. The Minister has treated the Garda with total disdain on many occasions. He was not invited to the conference. He did not allow gardaí to use facilities at his house. That has never happened before. These are not wild claims; they are facts on which I have corroborative proof. The report exists if the Minister wants to find it. The Garda will not find it if it looks in the reports for 2008 or 2009. The incident in question happened between late February and early March 2011. The Minister should cut out the tomfoolery and be honest. He should be upfront and answer the questions, not hide and then spend the past three weeks on national television and radio and other shows promoting his book, if one does not mind, and telling the presenter that it was not “Prime Time” and he would not answer questions other than on the book.

It is an abuse of power.

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