Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is the reintroduction of a Bill that Deputy Wallace introduced some time ago. Nobody would dispute that what was requested at the time, and did not happen, needed to have happened. After the local elections most of us, particularly on this side of the House, probably feel bruised from the experience, but perhaps it allows us to speak in more blunt terms than we have used in the past.

As most of my colleagues and the Minister have said, virtually all of what is included in this Private Members' Bill has been taken on board by the Minister and the Government. However, after canvassing and meeting gardaí on the ground, one line in the Guerin report, which is an extremely disturbing report, must be reiterated. It occurs before Mr. Guerin proceeds to his recommendations for the Garda, the Government and the Department and speaks about maintaining the confidence the Irish people have in our gardaí. Given that the procedures the Deputies opposite requested are now being introduced, we must also introduce a note of caution into the debate, because I believe the Irish people have not lost confidence in our gardaí or in most of the management of the Garda.

I met some interesting people when I was canvassing, including a person who was involved in the establishment of the Criminal Assets Bureau and a detective who investigated in the arrest, charge and conviction of a current Sinn Féin councillor in Cork City Council. Some of the language from the Sinn Féin Party, in particular, about our gardaí is extremely disturbing, upsetting and, it must be said, subversive. The confidence we have in the Garda is absolutely vital to the security and safety of the State. While I can acknowledge the bona fides of Deputy Wallace, after meeting gardaí in my county who have investigated murders and crimes committed against gardaí by members, families and supporters of Sinn Féin and the IRA, I believe we must continue to point out to the Irish people that Sinn Féin and the politburo that runs that party continue to have a vested interest in destabilising the security of this country. We in the Fine Gael Party and members of other parties and other Independent Members know that the agenda in this House from Sinn Féin is different from that of everybody else.

We have been too polite in our language and in how we have dealt with the Sinn Féin Party in the past. It is about time that everybody involved in the House accepted the reality that, as has been the case for many generations, what is in the interests of the Sinn Féin Party is not in the interests of the Irish people. It is not even in the interests of that party's councillors, Deputies or Senators. There is a controlling political group that runs the Sinn Féin Party and we must be very careful in this republic that we do not march towards a point where that politburo is hiding behind the doors and buildings of Leinster House, as it currently is in opposition, trying to run the country. In that regard, we have a shared ambition. The group is starting in particular by trying to undermine the one group that has always stood between the people and their security on the one hand and Sinn Féin and the IRA on the other, that is, our gardaí.

While there was anger from the gardaí about how the Garda was politically handled, the one thing that angered them most was the continued hypocrisy we have heard from members of the Sinn Féin Party. There was certainly anger about other issues as there was with all public servants over the last years. In supporting the cause they have had to date, I urge the Deputies opposite, whose Bill I find it hard to disagree with other than to note that everything in it is already happening, to realise that it remains the case that the vast majority of gardaí and the Irish people have huge confidence in each other. Above all else, this process must have within it the ambition to maintain that confidence. I urge Members to engage fully with the processes, of which there are several, and to acknowledge that we have a new Minister. The principal job she has is to restore that confidence. I urge Members to work with her because we may have disagreements in the House on economic and ideological matters, but we must unite behind the ambition to ensure that we continue to have what has existed since shortly after the foundation of our State, namely, absolute confidence in our Garda Síochána.

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