Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

When the whistleblowers Sergeant Maurice McCabe and John Wilson approached Deputies Clare Daly and Mick Wallace who, in turn, approached Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan and me, they stated the abuses of the penalty points system were the visible tip of the iceberg of possible malpractice and corruption within sections or elements of An Garda Síochána. They have not only been vindicated through the report of the Garda Inspectorate on what they raised regarding penalty points but also on the wider and more serious issues that have come to light in the past 15 months or so and which will come to light again in the coming months. From very bad experiences, very good things can emerge. Points have been made in this Chamber on the cases the aforementioned Deputies have heard from individuals and families about their experiences at the hands of a section of An Garda Síochána. They would make the hair on the back of one's head stand on end. They are frightening and one would swear one was reading some of the accounts from a book of nightmares. However, the positive outcome is that all those isolated individuals who could not see beyond the four walls of their homes have begun to get organised and set up the Justice4all campaign, where they can work together, raise their issues and call for justice in the longer term.

I thank the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, and former Commissioner Callinan for doing some service to the State. They could have welcomed the actions of the whistleblowers and then quietly buried the penalty points issue with the O'Mahoney whitewash. Instead, in their arrogance, they attempted to denigrate and discredit the whistleblowers and elected public representatives who had raised these important questions. Their dismissive sneering attitude led them into a monumental cock-up which exposed serious issues within An Garda Síochána. It is not just the Minister who should take responsibility, as he has been fully supported in his approach up until today by the Taoiseach and members of the Cabinet. Labour Party members of the Cabinet had nothing to say for 15 months on this issue and only found their voice after the Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, raised the issue last week - fair play to him - and stated the men concerned should be classed as distinguished, not disgusting. This was followed for four to five days by Labour Party Ministers appearing all over the media and stating it would be helpful if former Commissioner Callinan and the Minister, Deputy Alan Shatter, corrected the record of the Dáil.

However, since Monday, we have been back to the same old, same old - the silence of the lambs, from whom there has not been a whisper.

The Minister's head over heels about-turn in the Dáil today is welcome, but we cannot have confidence in a Minister who handled this issue in the way he handled it in the past 15 months. He should do the decent thing and follow ex-Commissioner Callinan. Last July there was an opportunity to deal decisively with the issue and put accountability and oversight of An Garda Síochána on a proper footing through the Garda Síochána (Amendment) Bill 2013 which was introduced by Deputy Mick Wallace with the support of the Technical Group. It called for the establishment of the Garda Síochána independent board, with monitoring, supervisory and oversight functions, over An Garda Síochána. This would be an important step in strengthening the democratic accountability of An Garda Síochána, which is necessary to promote public confidence and trust in the force. It also called for the independence and impartiality of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission to be strengthened by amending the Garda Síochána Act 2005. It was a very important Bill which was dismissed from the Government benches, but we are now in a situation where the Government is calling for an independent policing board.

I will repeat a point I have made in the Dáil a number of times. By international standards, we do not have a corrupt Garda force. Those of us who have raised and pursued these issues do so on the basis that all State agencies have to be fully accountable to best serve the interests of the public and those who work in them. That is the reason this has been an important issue in the past few months.

I spoke to former garda John Wilson on Monday when he left hospital. I wish him well in his fight against his illness, as, I am sure, does everyone in the Chamber. He said that, at that point, any apology from former Commissioner Callinan or the Minister would correct the Dáil record but it would not be made in the true sense. Like thousands of others, he feels the Minister should go.

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