Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Taoiseach agrees that it is not the time one gets out of bed that is important but what one does with that time. We have been caught somewhat unawares by the announcement this afternoon, given the unequivocal backing of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and every one of the Government team through every scandal in which Deputy Shatter has been involved. This includes, not least, the announcement over the weekend that he was guilty of a breach of law. It is the first time in our history a sitting Minister was deemed to be guilty of breaking the law. This is not just any Minister but one in the Department charged with responsibility for overseeing the data protection legislation. The Taoiseach and the ministerial team, including Deputy Varadkar not later than this morning, sought to dismiss and rubbish the findings of the Data Protection Commissioner even though it is well established as precedent in every jurisdiction that, where a Minister is found guilty of illegality or lying to Parliament, immediate resignation is the norm. While not bearing any personal grudge against the Minister, Deputy Shatter, everyone on this side of the House is amazed it has taken this long because in other jurisdictions he would have been long gone.

We say this particularly given the crisis he has weathered over the past 18 months, when the Taoiseach stood by him through the major scandals relating to the bugging of GSOC and the serious allegations of Garda malpractice put forward by Sergeant Maurice McCabe. Let us remember that Maurice McCabe, who last week had to make a complaint about bullying he is experiencing from members of the Garda force at the moment, has been campaigning on these issues for five years. The report issued by Judge Guerin is based on allegations Maurice McCabe submitted to the Garda authorities and personally to the Assistant Commissioner - who, ironically, today applied to be Chief Constable of the PSNI. We were told and he was told by the Minister that there was no case to answer and that those matters had been investigated.

My questions to the Taoiseach are as follows. He has made the point a couple of times that GSOC did not co-operate with the Guerin inquiry. What does he mean by that? GSOC has been the butt of an undermining campaign by the former Minister on numerous occasions. I am aware that the former Garda Commissioner approached the Garda organisations and asked them to issue public statements of no confidence in GSOC at the time of the bugging applications. What is the implication of the Taoiseach's remarks that GSOC did not co-operate? This is the body charged with Garda accountability. The problem is far deeper than Deputy Shatter. Does the Taoiseach accept now that we need a root and branch review of the entire operation of An Garda Síochána, and does he accept that Professor Dermot Walsh's recommendations on Garda accountability should be implemented?

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