Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome the appointment of the new commissioner. If she carries her independent streak to the new job it will certainly be beneficial. Like Deputy Clare Daly, I am worried about the potential of GSOC to hold gardaí to account and we have not been impressed with the changes made. The body struggles with the task, not necessarily through any fault of its own but because there does not seem to be a massive appetite for serious oversight in the form of a monitoring body with an investigative remit. This is very much required and it would make a significant difference.

I am not sure that bringing the confidential recipient element into GSOC will work despite the fact that the Minister is giving an extra €1 million to make it happen. Many gardaí who have a serious complaint are reluctant to go there and I do not believe GSOC has the wherewithal to deal with it or has been given the necessary resources. The Minister's task is a difficult one as the Department of Justice and Equality is a very powerful, conservative body and I am sure it is not easy to change its stripes. Given everything that has been said and done in the past couple of years, people now expect change and there is an appetite among the public for something different from the police force. A strong, resourceful and fearless GSOC is crucial if we are to have a Garda force that is accountable to the people whom it is supposed to serve and that governs with the consent of the people rather than just as a police force that implements the rule of law.

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