Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The top 200 gardaí are politically appointed. That is a fundamental problem and is one of the reasons we are in the mess we are in at the moment because promotions, extensions and appointments are controlled by the Government. What does that mean? It means that those below the rank of Commissioner must behave in a way that pleases their political masters. That is a great pity and has had disastrous consequences. One of the beneficiaries but also one of the victims is the Commissioner himself because his promotion was due to a political appointment and any Commissioner who is appointed and then promoted is, of course, beholden to the Government who has given them that promotion or appointment. The extension of that term was a mistake. The Commissioner's treatment of whistleblowers echoes the Government's treatment of whistleblowers. To call whistleblowers "disgusting" is something everybody in this House recognises as unacceptable and something for which he should come to the Committee of Public Accounts to withdraw. The short-term solution is not just for an independent authority to be set up. If a message is to go out today from us to the people, it should be that the Commissioner should fall on his sword and resign because of his behaviour and because of his deep politicisation of this particular controversy. His treatment of the whistleblowers is absolutely and totally unacceptable. In respect of his statement that he gave a direction to them, nobody interprets that except those with a vested interest.

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