Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday the Taoiseach told us that the Minister for Justice and Equality would clear up a number of very serious issues which are undermining confidence in the administration of justice and the gardaí. This morning, for example, the Minister, Deputy Shatter, had the opportunity to withdraw his disgraceful remarks about Garda John Wilson and Sergeant Maurice McCabe. He refused to that. Is that acceptable? Yesterday the Taoiseach briefed myself and Teachta Martin, and I thank him for that. He told us that he was made aware on Sunday that there were very serious revelations emerging about the illegal recording by gardaí of phone calls in and out of Garda stations, but after the briefing it emerged that this practice had been brought to the Government's attention on at least three occasions, one, with the publication of the GSOC report in June 2013, two, with the discontinuation of this practice in November 2013 and, yesterday in this Chamber, I asked the Taoiseach if the Garda Commissioner knew of the phone recordings before he put in his letter of retirement. He refused to answer me. Now we know that not only did he know but that he wrote to the Government about this. I have no reason to disbelieve the Taoiseach's assertion that he only knew about all of this on Sunday.

I accept the Taoiseach at his word, but is it acceptable to him that when the Department of Justice and Equality and the Minister are in the eye of a storm and a saga of tsunamis of controversies that he is not told? The Taoiseach was not told. What sort of Government is he running? We speak about dysfunctionality. Why was he not told? Personal loyalty may be an admirable trait, but I am sure the Taoiseach would agree it should not be put before the common good. If the Taoiseach keeps backing the Minister, Deputy Shatter, this is what he is doing. He is bringing his own office into this controversy by standing over something which is clearly and patently, leaving other considerations to one side and everything else out of it, incompetence, which is good reason to get rid of the Minister, Deputy Shatter. Will the Taoiseach reflect on all of this, step outside of his office for a moment, look at how this is seen by ordinary citizens and do the right thing and ask the Minister, Deputy Shatter, to go?

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