Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have an opportunity to speak on this important legislation. I welcome the announcement by the Minister in her speech to the effect that the various reforms put forward in Deputy Ross's Bill are being acted upon by the Government.

It goes without saying that if one examines the activities of various police forces throughout the world in recent years there have been numerous occasions where reform was required and this is no exception. This should not be taken as a blanket overall castigation of An Garda Síochána. It is hugely important that the general public, wherever it may be, has absolute confidence in its police force at all levels. At all times the general public needs to be reassured that the police force acting on its behalf acts with its full authority and support and is independent of any type of manipulation from any quarter. This is not to suggest for one moment that the Garda has been manipulated in any fashion by anybody.

Certainly, during my time in this House I have seen members of An Garda Síochána work solidly on behalf of the State to protect it and as I have stated previously, on many occasions they paid the ultimate price for so doing.

In a number of situations over the past 25 or 30 years, members of An Garda Síochána in the front line or the front row had no option except to do their duty and when called upon to do their duty, they did it. Moreover, they did it without fear or favour and many were injured or maimed and many paid the ultimate price. Members should not have a debate of this nature without recording their appreciation to An Garda Síochána for the tremendous work it has done in difficult times over a difficult era when there were many challenges both within and without. Consequently, it goes without saying that the reforms now proposed are not by way of criticism but are by way of consolidation and by way of providing confidence among the public on the extent to which the modern police force must be independent and in respect of what is required in the modern era.

It also is no harm to remember that in recent years, almost every aspect of society has been challenged. Every profession, including politics and elsewhere, has been challenged and various issues have arisen that have not shown various professions in a good light. As a result, it has been necessary to undertake reforms that are taking place. Moreover, it is appropriate that they should, because without such reforms there will be a continued lack of confidence in the system. While it is easy for everybody to point his or her finger and to state everything was meant to be changed, things have changed fairly dramatically within a short time. Although the extent of the change has not yet been fully perceived, it is taking place. As for those who suggest the changes did not take place quickly enough, I note the resources necessary to bring about all those changes are not as evidently available as they appear to be in some quarters of the House.

I refer to the reforms required in An Garda Síochána back in 2005 and as the Minister has just indicated, those reforms did not go to the extent they should have gone at that time. In fairness to members of the Garda Síochána at all levels who did the job at huge personal cost to themselves many times over those years, Members should not fail to recognise the sacrifices they made. They made huge familial and personal sacrifices and did their jobs well. Members have often spoken about those people who intoned to Members privately the things they perceived to be wrong within the administration. Sometimes they were right and perhaps sometimes they were wrong but the time now has come for an overall evaluation of the structures, which is good. Moreover, it should be and will be comprehensive to restore public confidence in the administration of justice. There are many other aspects of the system that require reform. While I have no doubt but that this will happen, in my short contribution I can only express my hope that at the end of the day, confidence will be restored in An Garda Síochána and those gardaí who have done their jobs selflessly throughout the years will be vindicated.

See this speech in context