Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Given that the Opposition has attempted to make hay from this issue in recent weeks, it is absolutely disgraceful that there is no justice spokesperson from any Opposition party here, including the Technical Group, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. The manner in which they have behaved in recent weeks proves that this is a cynical political ploy. They have absolutely no interest in what the Garda Síochána, the ombudsman commission or anybody else is trying to do and their absence speaks volumes. This is the tenth occasion since I became a Member of the House on which I have spoken to entirely empty Opposition benches. This shows where Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin stand on this issue. Sinn Féin is proposing the motion, yet its Deputies do not even have the courtesy to attend the Chamber. It proves that this whole affair has in some ways been an orchestrated farce to try to deflect attention from the real issues.

The Minister for Justice and Equality is attending the Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions, of which I am a member. He has spent hours answering questions, some of which are ráiméis. He has gone back over his record since becoming Opposition spokesperson on justice some years ago. At an early stage he advocated an independent oversight and representative organisation for the Garda. He did this in the courts through the situation in Donegal and as a member of the committee which investigated the Abbeylara issue.

Some Opposition Members who take up columns in the Sunday Independent week in and week out are driven more by constituency than political issues. It is somewhat disingenuous of them to try to find smoke where there is none.

I am glad that the Government and the Minister have decided to appoint a judge to investigate the matter. I want to see us working towards a situation where the independent High Court judge will finally be able to clarify this question. At the committee the Minister said there were conflicting reports on the technical expertise available. That point must resonate with people. If he said he was in favour of one or the other, naturally enough, the Opposition would state he was biased. He has taken that decision for the right reason. He told the committee today that all necessary documentation would be made available.

The most important thing that has been said about this matter was not said in this House but in the "Prime Time" studio by Mr. Kieran FitzGerald of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. He basically said there was no issue about whether there was surveillance from a Garda point of view. This matter has caused unnecessary distraction and difficulty both for the Garda Síochána and the ombudsman commission. Ultimately, the decision to establish the commission stemmed from the question of "who guards the guardians?" The question now, however, is: who guards the guardians of the guardians? We cannot have a situation where that responsibility goes up and up. At some stage we will have to draw a line under it and inject trust.

I will finish where I started. Where are the Opposition spokespersons on justice? They felt it was so important to traipse out onto the plinth and call for the Minister's head. Where is the party that proposed the motion before the House? It cuts to the root of what is behind this politically motivated attempt to smear the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Garda Síochána and the ombudsman commission and it should be rejected.

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