Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

With regard to amendments Nos. 13 and 18, the scandal around the Garda erupted because of the perceived relationship between the Government, the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Commissioner. Unfortunately, the Bill fails to deal with the central issue of the Commissioner and the independent power of GSOC to investigate him or her. Why would the Government impede GSOC from investigating the Commissioner when that was one of the key issues that erupted last year? Why is the Government providing that GSOC must seek the permission of the Minister to investigate the Commissioner? If that provision remains in place, the reform will be an artificial one. GSOC should be independent and autonomous and should have the power to decide what its own investigations will be while, of course, having to justify them in the public interest.

The reputation of the Garda has never been as low in the mind of the public as it is now due to the issues that arose last year as well as because of recent events and the way gardaí are now being used. The Commissioner herself made a statement last week that was quite political and pointed on the nature of protests.

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