Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak briefly about the Bill. I congratulate the Minister on her new role. She has been thrown in at the deep end, so to speak, at a very serious time for An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice and Equality. I want to mention also the former Minister, Deputy Shatter, who admitted that mistakes were made in this area in recent weeks but who did very fine work in his role as Minister for Justice and Equality over the past three years.

It is important to acknowledge the role Opposition Deputies played in consistently highlighting this issue in recent years. I admit that as a backbench Deputy I did not fully acknowledge the extent of many of the issues raised over an extended period. It was only when I got an opportunity to hear from Sergeant McCabe at a Committee of Public Accounts briefing that I understood many of the concerns he was raising. Not only was he raising very serious concerns, but there was methodology in the way he was presenting them. He could prove how this was happening, back it up with factual information, and show that the problem was extensive. That is the first time I realised the seriousness of the issue. Sergeant McCabe has done the service some good, despite the claims made earlier about his current treatment, but we now must attempt to rebuild confidence in the Garda Síochána.

A point made repeatedly here is about the number of gardaí who are very good at their jobs. That is the case because 95% of them do a sterling job on a daily basis, and we depend on them for our safety and security. It is important that while this work goes on they are allowed do their jobs.

I want to briefly touch on the area of discretion, which is an issue that arose when Sergeant McCabe spoke to us. In fairness, he did not have an issue with that because all gardaí must be able to exercise discretion at some level, particularly those who work in small rural communities. In terms of their ability to work with local people they know and understand, gardaí must be given that discretion to allow them do their jobs, but if we take that from them we make their job nigh on impossible. Sergeant McCabe did not have an issue with Garda discretion but with the way it was being abused by other people in the force, and that is something we must acknowledge.

The Bill brought before the House by Deputy Wallace makes a good deal of sense on the basis that the Government is broadly agreeing with many of its proposals. The objectives of the board as stated were to promote public trust and confidence in An Garda Síochána, which is hugely important. As politicians, we all know there is a level of cynicism around everything we do, regardless of whether it is good or bad. We cannot allow that happen in our Garda force for the foreseeable future considering the role its members play.

The aim of the Bill is to provide an independent means of oversight, monitoring and supervision of An Garda Síochána. That should be welcomed. Gardaí play an important role in society but that does not mean they can work at their own whim and take action as they see fit. It is important they are accountable not only to this House, but to a board made up of different people and organisations. One part of the Bill states that they should come before the Committee of Public Accounts, which they and the Garda Commissioner do already on a regular basis, but it is important that they can come forward and explain the way appointments were made, decisions taken and policies rolled out.

I welcome the timeline set out by the Minister, which is hugely ambitious. Much of what has arisen in the past six months is as a result of a culture that has existed for some time and will not be fixed overnight. Many of the people involved will remain in the Garda force for a number of years. More than anything else, a cultural sea change is needed. We can provide an independent board with the powers to do this. We must also support the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission in its role. It is important that there is a healthy friction between the force and GSOC. There is no point in their agreeing on everything because that would mean somebody was not doing their job. There must also be a healthy friction between the Minister and the Garda Commissioner. This will ensure both are doing their jobs right.

Deputy Wallace is correct in saying that if we are serious about bringing about public trust and confidence in the Garda Síochána then this Bill must progress to Committee Stage as soon as possible. This Bill, or another similar to it, was brought before us a year ago. As I stated earlier, I did not perhaps at that stage understand the seriousness of some of the issues that would arise. I believe the Government now fully understands the seriousness of these issues. It is important that the timeline as set out is adhered to and that most of the institutions required are established prior to Christmas, thus restoring trust and confidence in the Garda Síochána.

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