Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 13:

In page 4, line 18, to delete “and subject to the consent of the Minister,”.

This issue was discussed on Committee Stage and earlier in our debate on Report Stage. If the Garda Commission is not subject to the same degree of oversight as everybody else in the organisation, GSOC will be perceived to be at a disadvantage and its independence will be undermined. I acknowledge that amendment No. 14 allows the Minister to change the relationship with the approval of the Government but that means both the Minister and the Government have an input on whether the Garda Commissioner of the day should be subject to oversight. Such an approach would still infringe on the independence of GSOC and undermine its ability to do the job with which it is charged under the legislation. If the head of the Garda is not subject to the same oversight as other officers or has the ability to ask the Government to deflect scrutiny, it is not a good provision.

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