Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, I thank Mr. Justice O'Higgins and his staff for their work and I congratulate him on the report. He took a difficult and conjugated task and worked flat out to uncover the facts and to report them honestly and fairly in a report that addresses the issues and obviously makes many recommendations.

In recent weeks, the focus in the media has been on background issues regarding what different legal counsel said or did not say and, in the main, the O'Higgins report has been ignored and overlooked, which is an awful pity. Moreover, the report's findings have been lost in the media and the political debate. This is disappointing because the entire reason for establishing the commission of investigation was to investigate the serious allegations made concerning An Garda Síochána. The report found evidence of human error by members of the Garda in a number of incidents but found no evidence of Garda corruption. The report found that in some instances, the investigative functions of the Garda were not discharged properly and there were unacceptable delays, poor note-taking, failure to interview key witnesses and incorrect registry of incidents on the PULSE system. The report is extremely critical of the manner in which victims were treated and this is clear and stark in the failings that were addressed there.

Consequently, the findings of the report obviously are disappointing for all those who respect the work of the Garda and who place their faith in the men and women who commit their lives and - as is evident with regard to recent events - in many cases risk their lives to serve the community, the country and its citizens. I have no doubt but that the people who are most disappointed in the findings of the report are members of An Garda Síochána themselves. It is important that Members consider the report, learn from it and implement its findings in order to reinstate and re-instill the pride people have in the force. While the report finds that some issues raised by Sergeant Maurice McCabe did not turn out to be valid, it also states his evidence was truthful. Sergeant McCabe is a very brave member of An Garda Síochána. He saw things he believed to be wrong within the police force of which he is a member and took steps to highlight and resolve them. The report and its findings would not be available today and the commission would not have been established without him. The goodwill that will flow from taking steps to address the problems identified in the report is the legacy of Sergeant McCabe's brave stand.

The report found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of former Garda Commissioner, Mr. Martin Callinan, or former Minister, Mr. Alan Shatter, and stated they both behaved appropriately in their handling of Sergeant McCabe's complaints. It is important to make this point in this Chamber as all too often Members live in a world with social media and the 24-hour news cycle where allegations are made by people in the public domain that are unfounded but by the time the facts are known, the legend of the story has eclipsed the truth of the evidence and the public media attention has moved on. It is important to note in particular those findings in the report and I wish my colleague, former Minister Alan Shatter, and the former Commissioner, Martin Callinan, well in their futures.

In the future, Members must consider what Mr. Justice O'Higgins has recommended in his report to address the failings that have been identified. Among his recommendations are the clear need for guidance in the duties of Garda sergeants, the introduction of a system of performance management and better management of cases that are being investigated. I believe Members of the current Dáil, including the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Government, the Policing Authority and, most importantly, every single member of An Garda Síochána, including Commissioner O'Sullivan and Sergeant McCabe, wish to see the recommendations of the O'Higgins report implemented and the current programme of reform in the Garda continue to its natural end. The people always have taken pride in the men and women who put on the uniform of An Garda Síochána every day. That pride is built on trust. The findings of the O'Higgins report highlight the failings in the current system but also give Members the tools to fix them, which now must be their priority.

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