Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to speak to the motion. I have known and worked alongside the Minister for more than 30 years. In everything he has done, whether as a spokesperson or Minister, he has worked extremely hard. He has been unafraid to tackle difficult issues which others were happy to ignore. He has worked to improve our legislative system, both as a Minister and in opposition, and his legacy is one of reform and progress. As with most members of the Government, he came into office facing a range of challenges which had been long-fingered for some time, and set about methodically addressing them, one by one.

The Minister's record speaks for itself. As many of my colleagues noted, during the past 36 months he has been directly involved in the drafting, publication and enactment of 40 separate legislative items. His work rate is second to none, as Deputies on all sides know. This is a common thread in all the work he has done since 2011, whether on personal insolvency and debt relief or in addressing white collar crime, penal reform, vetting and child protection, judicial pay, equality, human rights or human trafficking. All of these issues impact on people in all parts of the country. The Minister's work has improved the position of people throughout the country in all these areas and many more.

The most important thing now is that, following the conclusion of the various inquiries which the Minister and Government have established, we ensure that An Garda Síochána remains the respected force it has been since the foundation of the State and enjoys the full confidence of the people whose freedoms it serves and protects. With this in mind, the Government has reiterated its commitment to reform Garda oversight and accountability, including by establishing an independent Garda authority. The Government will announce the full details of its comprehensive reform proposals in the coming months. This will be done following the completion of the current inquiries by Judge Cook and Mr. Guerin and the forthcoming hearings of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. As a long-standing colleague, I express my support for the Minister.

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