Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan's eagerly awaited statement yesterday left a lot to be desired. It failed to clarify any of the serious questions that were put to her over the past week.

I refer specifically to whether she instructed her legal team to challenge the integrity, motivation and credibility of whistleblower Garda Sergeant Maurice McCabe. She has still not addressed this extremely serious allegation in any coherent or credible manner. Instead, the Garda Commissioner has danced around this issue and said that it would be unfair to address the partial transcripts in the public domain, yet goes on to state that her legal team was not instructed to "impugn the integrity" of Sergeant Maurice McCabe. She then suggests that it would not have been unreasonable or improper for such an approach to be taken in the name of cross-examination, implying that she did not do what is alleged but that if she had done so, this would have been acceptable. In the first instance, she hides behind legislation, and then goes on to use semantics in an attempt to bury the issue.

It is my view that she keeps digging, and it is simply not good enough. None of it adds up and it is simply not acceptable for her to act in such a manner. That said, I recognise that there are positive aspects to her statement. She made reference to the "inescapable lessons" for the Garda and how the O'Higgins report highlighted "a number of critical areas including... dealings with whistleblowers". However, a question remains, and not just in the mind of this Deputy. It is a question that is very much a conversation well beyond the confines of this institution. How can we trust a Commissioner to oversee such changes and learn from these lessons when there are very serious allegations against her in her role, allegations that she has not confronted directly? Instead, as I have already stated, she is dancing around them.

It is appropriate to pay tribute to Garda Sergeant Maurice McCabe, whom I have never met. He was undoubtedly subjected to a very serious and personally targeted smear campaign. The issues brought to light by him were matters by and large that arose in my constituency and that of my colleague on the neighbouring benches. I believe it is imperative and important to put on the record of this House that, from conversations I have had with individual gardaí in the Cavan-Monaghan division, it is clear to me that Sergeant Maurice McCabe's courageous efforts are not perceived as negatively as has been reported. In fact, his efforts to ensure the highest standards within the Garda and to ensure that everyone is treated equally before the law are well respected within those ranks and rightly so.

I acknowledge also former Garda John Wilson who also had the courage to speak out about serious wrongdoings within the Garda. His and Sergeant McCabe's motivation has been and remains, in this Deputy's opinion, beyond reproach. I hope that the ongoing review will address all of the critical matters that have been addressed. A substantial body of issues has been highlighted and needs to be thoroughly and properly investigated and openly and transparently reported on. While many may hope that these are the last words to be heard on this matter, I hope the Minister will come back to this House in an appropriately short period of time to address substantively all of the relevant issues in a very particular and acceptable way.

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