Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Patten report, which was published many years ago, had approximately 266 recommendations. Approximately 16 of them referred specifically to the nature of the divided society in Northern Ireland and were particular to that part of United kingdom and all the divisions with which we are familiar. The remaining 250 were the best types of recommendations one could possibly have for a Garda authority in this State. My colleague Deputy Brendan Howlin, now Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, brought forward a Bill to that effect. It was rejected by the then Fianna Fáil coalition Government.

If we had the desired authority — we will have it — many of the issues raised by the Deputy, whose concerns I share, could be addressed through a proper outlet. We would have a proper ombudsman for the Garda Síochána, a proper authority and a proper complaints procedure. The Labour Party and Government are committed to introducing a Garda authority. We are committed to introducing whistleblower legislation. These have been on the Statute Book in a partial way. Before the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, became the leader of the Labour Party, he published whistleblower legislation. It was accepted on Committee Stage but then it disappeared into the bowels of the then Government.

The concerns the Deputy is expressing about the individual in question, whom I do not know, are concerns we all share, and I thank the Deputy for raising them. When we have finished our work — we will move without delay — we will have established a Garda authority that will build on the practice that has now emerged in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. Northern Ireland is a good place to start, and the Patten report is a document on which we can build our own foundations. This, plus legislation that will protect whistleblowers and other kinds of safeguards, will result in what Deputy Daly called a Garda police service, not a police force and all that this implies. I thank Deputy Flanagan for the way in which he articulated his point. I have outlined where we want to go and we will go there. When we debate the published report, rather than speculate on its content, we will move to have the aforementioned provisions put in place so the kinds of events the Deputy is describing today will no longer happen.

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