Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I have said in the House previously, robust procedures are increasingly being put in place within An Garda Síochána to make sure that the concerns raised by Garda whistleblowers are dealt with appropriately, and the Deputy has heard the Garda Commissioner herself talk about them. We have passed the Protected Disclosures Act, which is a very robust statutory framework within which workers, including members of An Garda Síochána, can raise concerns regarding potential wrongdoing. I believe that GSOC has the necessary independence and powers to carry out any investigation that is needed or that arises, but the legislation does provide a comprehensive suite of employment and other protections to whistleblowers who are penalised by their employer or suffer a detriment from a third party on account of raising concerns. We know the change in the culture of any organisation takes time, but there is clearly an obligation to put in place the best supports for whistleblowers so that people feel confident about coming forward, that there are procedures in place and that they will not feel further penalised because of the action that they have taken. The Deputy knows that An Garda Síochána is also working with Transparency Ireland to look at various procedures and that it has clearer mechanisms in place now to support whistleblowers than were there previously.

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