Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is important that this issue is fully explored. For this reason, I support the process under way by the Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions. As I understand it, that committee, on the conclusion of yesterday's meeting with the chairman of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, decided to do two things. First, to request the full report presented to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission - it is a matter for the commission, which is independent, whether or not to provide that report to the committee - and, second to invite the Minister for Justice and Equality to appear before it to answer whatever questions it wishes to put him on the issue. The Minister is willing to do that.

In the first instance, we should allow that committee to pursue the line of inquiry in which it is engaged and to do the job it has to do. As in the case of every other public body, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission appears before Oireachtas committees as appropriate to answer for its stewardship. That is what is being done in this regard. I believe that is the process that should be followed. We should allow that process to continue and not pre-empt it. We all regard as serious the possibility of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission being subject to any kind of surveillance or leaking of confidential information into the public domain. The chairman of GSOC has set out the approach taken by the commission to date. As I said, the commission operates independently and we should all respect that. We should allow the process now under way to continue and to establish whatever information needs to be established.

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