Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to take part in this very important debate on the report of the Garda Inspectorate. As a question and answer session will follow, I will use the opportunity to offer some questions which I hope the Minister will deal with.

I thank the chief inspector of the Garda Inspectorate, Mr. Robert Olson, for his clear, unambiguous and very concise report. Having read it, everybody agrees that it sets out across five chapters where we are and where we hope to get to on this issue. What is most welcomed by the public is that arising from the report and implementation of its recommendations will be a transparent code of Garda discretion that will be equal for all. This is to be welcomed.

Earlier we had a discussion about An Garda Síochána. With other members of the Opposition, I detailed the catalogue of the Minister's failings to date. I will reiterate them.

The Minister mentioned community policing, but he spearheaded the closure of almost 140 Garda stations in communities across the country. This has deprived many of the presence of community gardaí. We should also recall that the Minister was not too long in office when he attempted to prematurely shut down the Smithwick tribunal. He may contest that claim, now that the tribunal has concluded, but he was outed in that regard. We are discussing the penalty points issue, but we have also heard about the bugging of GSOC and the Minister's treatment of that body, whistleblowers and the confidential recipient. He has not dealt in his statement with any matter relating to Mr. Oliver Connolly. There has also been an issue regarding the Judiciary, while the Garda Commissioner has resigned. Some interesting information came into the public domain during Leaders' Questions today in that regard.

Why did the Minister leak the report into the public domain before placing it before the Houses of the Oireachtas? That was contemptuous of the Houses and Members; we are second-best when issues come up for discussion in an appropriate forum. Yesterday the leaders of the two main Opposition parties were called to a briefing by the Taoiseach, but the media had the story before then. There is a trend of showing disrespect for the Opposition parties, which is not good enough. There was a report in the Sunday Independent on an interview with Mr. Robert Olson that he had never met the Minister for Justice and Equality, despite the fact that they shared a building. This came from a one-to-one interview between the journalist and Mr. Olson.

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