Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I hear the point the Minister is making about PULSE and that the system may change. However, when Bob Olson and his colleagues from the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, as part of their substantial report on the crime investigation carried out over three years, they spoke about the inadequacies of PULSE. They said that ideally they would like to see the replacement of PULSE, which, obviously, a view that would be supported. We want to see the IT systems of An Garda Síochána being improved as we move forward. That would fit with an upgrade of how it did its business in crime investigation. The difficulty is that the Minister has not made any provision for this in the Estimates which we discussed yesterday.

It could be quite some time before that system is replaced.

While I take on board the Minister's comment that GSOC states it now has access based on protocols, there is concern. It goes back to the debate last night. The ombudsman in the North of Ireland signs the Official Secrets Act in respect of security issues, has the same powers as the police force, is regarded as the same and has the same access as the police. I would like GSOC to have real teeth, the same powers, the same obligations and sign the same statutory declarations as An Garda Síochána. This amounts to full access all the way for it. The best way to do this would be to enshrine it in legislation, rather than providing for it in protocols. Protocols mean An Garda Síochána is still in control, even though there are agreements and understandings in place. If it was enshrined in legislation that GSOC and An Garda Síochána were on a level playing pitch, with the same powers and responsibilities to the State, it would be better for everyone.

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