Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Day and night, in all weathers, there are one or two gardaí on duty at the Kildare Street entrance to Leinster House. Officially they are there to guard the Houses of the Oireachtas, but unofficially they spend a lot of time assisting members of the public. Friendliness is an aspect of the demeanour of a street garda in Ireland that is not as common in other jurisdictions. We are lucky to have it.

Gardaí in Bray and other County Wicklow stations are regularly called to the most shocking crashes and fatalities on the N11 and elsewhere in the county. The men and women of the police force are asked to witness and manage situations that most of us hope we will never have to encounter. We have a police force of which to be proud. That is why we have to do everything possible to maintain and protect its reputation. GSOC has a very necessary role in that regard. I, for one, do not want to hear any more public negativity from the Garda Commissioner about GSOC. If he cannot see the importance of having a strong watchdog to safeguard the reputation of Ireland's police officers, he does not understand his own role and obligations to his staff.

Two disturbing points have emerged since I spoke on this issue in the House last week. First, GSOC has confirmed that its investigation into this serious security breach has been completed and we are told the file is closed. A security breach that has such wide range consequences should be investigated by GSOC for as long as it takes for the matter to be resolved.

The second disturbing admission by GSOC is that the organisation does not know if it is under surveillance. The investigation is over and the case is closed, but the threat is still there. This is akin to a murder investigation being closed while a serial killer is still at large. The public needs to know that GSOC information is secure and gardaí need a secure GSOC.

For all of the above reasons, I welcome the Cabinet decision to appoint a High Court judge to lead an investigation into the events revealed in the past couple of weeks. This should not be an investigation into GSOC or whistleblowers. It needs to be an investigation with and alongside GSOC.

As vice chairperson of the Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, I welcome the initiative of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, to refer the Garda Síochána Act 2005 to the committee for review. There is certainly scope for increasing the powers of GSOC under the Act and also to make progressive structural changes to the top level reporting system of An Garda Síochána.

The current focus of the debate is a distraction from what needs to be done to ensure Ireland retains a fit-for-purpose police force. What has been evident in the past week or so is the structural flaw at the top of the policing system. It no longer seems appropriate, if it ever did, that the Garda Commissioner report to the Minister for Justice and Equality.

I have full confidence in the personal integrity of the Minister for Justice and Equality, but who can predict who will be the occupier of that seat 20 years from now? Would it not be safer to future-proof senior garda reporting structures now and establish a policing board chaired by a member of the Judiciary, a board to which the Garda Commissioner would report? Such an arrangement would immediately remove any suspicion, real or imaginary, that there could be political interference in the operation of Ireland's police force.

Today's vote no longer has any context, given the Cabinet decision of yesterday. To be honest, I find it difficult to take seriously a proposal about Garda security from Sinn Féin.

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