Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The legislation the Tánaiste brought forward means she is the only person who can hold the Garda Commissioner to account. Her legislation means GSOC cannot do the job the Tánaiste is telling us it is empowered to do. It does not have the power to discipline senior officers. In the context of the cases to which the Tánaiste referred, which are before GSOC, she is aware that the person responsible for overseeing the disciplinary action of one senior officer is the assistant commissioner who was at the centre of an allegation of leaking information to the very officer who is under review.

The Tánaiste has previously informed the House that she has requested of the Garda Commissioner a detailed and urgent report on the manner in which the two whistleblowers - one in particular - we are discussing were being treated by the Garda Síochána. Where is the report? A number of months ago, the Tánaiste told us it was urgent. Can the House see the report? Can the whistleblower at the heart of the matter see the information? It is all very convenient to hide behind bodies the Tánaiste knows are not coming up with answers. Meanwhile, the reality for the people the Tánaiste says she wants to encourage to come forward is that they are out of work coming up to Christmas. One of them has been out for over two years. All they want is to do their jobs and be active members of the Garda Síochána.

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