Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We proposed three amendments to the terms of reference. One of them, which was similar to that proposed by Deputy O'Callaghan of Fianna Fáil, concerned investigating information that might have come within the Minister's remit. The second concerned the need to include the other whistleblowers. Central to what this commission of investigation is about is ascertaining how the former and present Commissioners treated whistleblowers. That is at the core of it.

Restricting the period the commission is to investigate to that period up to the end of May 2014, the month in which the present Commissioner took charge, will not result in the full story. It just does not stack up. What has gone on since the current Commissioner took office is so similar to what occurred before May 2014. When the Commissioner and Minister were changed in 2014, there was so much talk about things being done differently. That did not happen. The current Commissioner, who sat at the right hand of the former Commissioner when he called whistleblowers "disgusting", has behaved just like he did in respect of the whistleblowers. It was May 2014 when Nick Keogh made his first allegation. In that year alone, he faced five internal investigations. There was not one before that but five at that time. As soon as Keith Harrison put his head above the parapet, he got barraged from all angles by the hierarchy of the force, which had not changed its spots. When the Minister appointed Commissioner O'Sullivan to the job, did she honestly believe she would get something different from what existed beforehand? Did she honestly believe this would bring about culture change? It did not have a prayer. It was more of the same. It does not stack up that the Minister will not include the period to which I am referring. The Commissioner said on RTE radio a couple of weeks ago, "I have absolutely no knowledge nor was I privy to any campaign to undermine any individual in An Garda Síochána." The Minister can say until the cows come home that the Commissioner is innocent until proven guilty, but I can tell the Minister that I know for a fact that the statement is not true, and the Commissioner knows it is not true. I would be very surprised if the Minister did not know it also. I am convinced she does.

It is stated Mr. Justice O'Neill has considered in his report the cases of the other whistleblowers. Mr. Justice O'Neill does not see a reason to include the confidential reports. Will the Minister tell me how much information Mr. Justice O'Neill got to make that decision? What was he given? What did the Minister give him? What did anybody give him? Did he get the protected disclosures? I would like to know the basis of his decision.

Maybe the Tánaiste will tell me that she has just told me that. When Keith Harrison's solicitor contacted the Tánaiste last October and asked to be included in the process, she made no secret of the fact that they would not be part of it. That was in October 2016. For Mr. Justice O'Neill to tell us now that he sees good reason why they should not be part of it, that is hardly rocket science.

I do not have enough time to go into the other issues. Sadly the O'Higgins report and how she dealt with that and how she was prepared to send counsel in to give false evidence in order to damage Sergeant McCabe should have seen the end of her last summer. However, the Government decided to support her and keep her standing with the support of Fianna Fáil. It was disingenuous of them to do so and the Tánaiste knows it.

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