Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The issues in regard to the alleged bugging of the GSOC offices are very clear. They have been gone through line by line and every decent journalist in the State has reported on and analysed them. The Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions has spent hours dealing with the issues. The allegations and the issues of concern are very clear.

Why did the Minister not deploy the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 and give a person or persons the ability to compel witnesses, compel all the relevant documentation and make findings of fact? Why was that not agreed to? What is the reason for the delay in doing that? The concern is that the delay reflects a concern in Government not to get to all of the facts of this matter which is reflected by the very poor response of Government when these allegations emerged and in the ten days which followed them in the Chamber and elsewhere.

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