Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy said there are two big issues: living up to the requirements of the people and not having the Garda under "patronage and control". Those are the words used by the Deputy. The Government decided to establish an independent policing authority and to have a Garda Commissioner appointed on foot of a public advertisement by means of international competition and selection. This process, which is also being used for the deputy commissioners, differs significantly from the process that had been applied since the foundation of the State in regard to the appointments made. I disagree entirely with the Deputy's suggestion that the Government has undermined that opportunity. The Government considered the process that was under way in Northern Ireland when Mr. Patten was put in charge of dealing with the structure and the propositions for that. We decided there was a different requirement here. The fundamental issue in so far as the Garda is concerned is that we now have an independent policing authority, enhanced powers for the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, an independent process of selection of and reporting by the Garda Commissioner and independent processes for the deputy commissioners. All of that differs significantly from what used to be applied.

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