Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I return to the Taoiseach's handling of the events leading to the establishment of the commission of investigation into certain matters relevant to the Cavan-Monaghan division of An Garda Síochána, matters of extreme gravity. I want to focus on the Taoiseach's relationship with the former Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, and his correspondence with him. It is a matter of public record that Deputy Alan Shatter was embroiled in a series of controversies brought to the attention of the Taoiseach and others by the Garda whistleblowers John Wilson and Maurice McCabe. Many of the claims made by these two courageous public servants have since been vindicated. However, the response of the Government and the then Garda Commissioner was to stonewall until the Garda confidential recipient resigned, followed by the Garda Commissioner and the then Minister, Deputy Alan Shatter. During this entire period the Taoiseach remained totally loyal to Deputy Alan Shatter who resigned not as an act of contrition but to save Fine Gael and the Labour Party.

Last week I asked the Taoiseach whether Deputy Alan Shatter, or anyone acting on his behalf, had been in touch with him, the Ceann Comhairle or anyone else in the Oireachtas about the Guerin report. He failed to answer my questions. When I pressed the issue, he eventually gave limited information to the Dáil, but even this small amount had to be dragged out of him. He did not divulge to the Dáil the content or extent of the correspondence with Deputy Alan Shatter, as he was obliged to do, including the fact that Deputy Alan Shatter had written to him as far back as last September. Yesterday, again under questioning, the Taoiseach revealed to the Dáil the extent of the voluminous correspondence between his office and Deputy Alan Shatter. He also had to correct the record of the Dáil. Is it not clear that he engaged in a series of evasions and diversions to avoid giving a full, accurate and timely account to the Dáil of ongoing and extensive correspondence between him and Deputy Alan Shatter?

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