Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

This is an insult to the population and this House. The manner in which the Taoiseach presented this previously was quite breath-taking. I do not know how many people here have read the report but I have read it more than once. The version of it which the Taoiseach has presented to this House belies its actual content. Let us look at what Mr. Justice Fennelly actually says about the Attorney General. He says that he is satisfied that she spoke in strong terms about the wholesale unlawful activity of the Garda, a conclusion not reached by her assistant who did a report that was very different. He also says that the Attorney General substantially modified her evidence months after she was asked to give that evidence in the first instance. He further says it is inescapable that she presented an alarming picture at meetings and that she made no effort to contact the then Minister for Justice and Equality or the Garda Commissioner despite a senior civil servant offering a face-to-face meeting with the Garda Commissioner on Monday morning. The Taoiseach has the neck to come in here and ask us to express confidence in the Attorney General. We have no more confidence in her than we do in him.

The Taoiseach has today presented a picture of An Garda Síochána as an organisation that he has reformed. He also said that he has given protection to whistleblowers. Currently there are two serving whistleblowers in the Garda service, one of whom Assistant Commissioner Nolan, who is mentioned in the Fennelly report in relation to former Garda Commissioner Callinan destroying evidence, has been asked to initiate a disciplinary hearing in respect of a senior officer on foot of a complaint by one of those whistleblowers, despite having already leaked information to that same officer on foot of a complaint by another serving whistleblower. This is the Taoiseach's newly reformed Garda Síochána. The Bill presented to this House is a watered down version of the heads of Bill presented last year and is a pale shadow of the legislation for a real independent Garda authority as presented to this House by Deputy Wallace.

Last night, many people around the country will have heard on a programme on RTE, which is hardly a vehicle for revolutionary propaganda, that on this Government's watch the top 5% of this society have more wealth than the middle 60%. Not only are we not discussing the key issues of the day, but we are ducking, diving and hiding behind spin. It is an absolute disgrace. This Government's legacy will be a lack of reform and a record that makes the previous Government look good.

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