Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have long held the view that in a civilised and democratic society whistleblowers are a positive thing. Irrespective of what career path to which it applies, be it policing, the Army or even politics, in any civilised society, both in the public interest and as legislators, we should protect whistleblowers. We do not always need to make a judgment that everything they claim is correct but it is for people like ourselves to be objective about these matters.

In regard to the most recent history of inquiries, tribunals and so on, I sometimes think the political establishment has learned very little from the past. I am particularly referring to the Morris tribunal in Donegal, an extensive tribunal of inquiry held over a period of six years at a great cost to the taxpayer of some €60 million. While some positive things came out of it, if anything should have been learned from the Morris tribunal, it is the point to which Deputy Conaghan has just alluded, namely, there has to be some sort of authority, as in our neighbouring jurisdiction, whether that is Northern Ireland or across the water. Policing should be independent. An opportunity was missed by the Government of the time when the Morris tribunal findings were presented. While there was talk about it, nothing happened.

We are now at a place where we have been trying to wrestle with this issue for some time. Given the nature of Irish politics, the Opposition has a particular role to play. This leads to the obsession with trying to wound the Minister, the temptation of which is so great that the Opposition becomes obsessed with that and loses the very important point that whistleblowing is a public interest issue. No one should be above the law, be it a politician or a policeman. We have to confront those kinds of issues.

In my three short years here I have become aware of a danger we could run out of retired judges if we look for any more inquiries. Almost every second week now there is a call for a public inquiry into this or that. I do not know what we have been up to as a society since the British left but some of it is not good. We are going to run out of judges, and I am sure some of them are taking flight at this stage in case they are called upon. I am sure there are many upstanding people in the legal profession. However, while I am not saying all of these inquiries and tribunals should not take place, because they should in certain instances, I am long of the opinion that, in many cases, the benefactors are the legal profession, not the public.

I have avoided speaking up for the Minister because he does not need me to speak up for him. He is well able to do that himself and he has made his stand. Again, to repeat, we missed the opportunity after the Morris tribunal. While I am not an expert on this and there are few experts, it is the case that we in this House will have to face up to some form of policing forum or authority. That is the way to take all of these issues out of the realms of politics and make them accountable to the public.

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