Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach might often have heard it said that there would be no need for the establishment of statutory inquiries to inquire into issues if we had clear and transparent statements on the floor of Parliament from the Taoiseach or indeed Government Ministers about specific issues. The Taoiseach will recall that on 25 March 2014, he informed the House that the former Garda Commissioner was resigning. He said that announcing his retirement must have been a very difficult decision for the Commissioner to make. The Taoiseach also announced that he was establishing a commission of inquiry into the tape recordings in many Garda stations since the 1980s and the potential impact of the contents of some tapes on cases being heard, cases going through courts, cases to be followed and cases that are yet to be dealt with.

Observing the civil case of Ian Bailey, I did not see the world collapsing in terms of any recordings of phone conversations at Garda stations. I remember that when the Taoiseach asked myself and Deputy Adams in on that date, there was a certain sense of very grave issues around phone recordings that would essentially undermine almost the entire judicial system and could lead to the unravelling of many convictions. When he informed the House of the Garda Commissioner's resignation, the Taoiseach did not mention that he had sent the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality to the Commissioner's house. The entire Cabinet found out about the former Commissioner's resignation through the media despite the fact that the Taoiseach had had some very important meetings at the time with key officials and, in particular, with the Minister for Justice and Equality.

I have a number of questions for the Taoiseach. In the first instance, why has the Taoiseach consistently refused to give a straightforward account to this House of all the circumstances that led to the resignation of the former Garda Commissioner and the reason he sent the Secretary General to the home of the former Garda Commissioner? Second, can the Taoiseach confirm if he was called to appear before the commission a second time, if he believes that in confirming this he would be breaking the law, and what law forbids the Taoiseach confirming whether he gave evidence?

In regard to the module of the Fennelly commission dealing with the resignation of the former Garda Commissioner, will the Taoiseach give a commitment to the House that he will publish the final draft report of that module immediately it is received by him and that there will be no attempt to delay its publication?

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