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

I support the motion. We are here because Sinn Féin is exploiting a serious issue for political gain. It quite clearly has an à la carteapproach to whistleblowers. Ask the former Senator Máiría Cahill. When most people and parties in this House attempted to form a Government last year, Sinn Féin sat it out. I am honoured to serve as Minister for Justice and Equality. I have never sat it out because I believe public service is about contributing. My record and the records of the current and previous Governments are records of reform and progressive legislation. As Deputy Howlin said, the establishment of an independent policing authority that has oversight of Garda Síochána is one of the most significant reforms to the justice system ever undertaken in this country. We have change that will further strengthen GSOC legislation.

Yesterday in this House, I outlined how I had dealt with the two protected disclosures I received last October. I have always been careful and concerned about dealing with all the cases that come to my attention, and I have always made the case, publicly and privately, for the protection and support of whistleblowers.

Following the publication of the O'Higgins report, I decided the Garda protected disclosure policy should be independently examined. That is why I asked the Policing Authority last June to assess and report on the policies and procedures in place. The revision of the protected disclosure policy was finalised last December. Implementation is now being kept under constant independent review by the Policing Authority, alongside a new code of ethics that is being prepared by that authority. Progress is being made but there is still much more to be done.

Policy is only part of the approach to whistleblowing. Changes to culture and attitudes and acceptance of those changes are also crucial. There has not been enough of that. Every day in this country, individual members of An Garda Síochána put themselves at risk in order that we can be safe. I never forget that in my role as Minister for Justice and Equality. I have always made it clear, however, that any wrongdoing within An Garda Síochána must be addressed fully and fairly. Sergeant McCabe's experience as a whistleblower in An Garda Síochána has been unimaginable and troubling. I thank him and his family for speaking out, however hard it may have been. We now have an opportunity to establish the truth once and for all.

Throughout my time as Minister for Justice and Equality, we have always made changes in significant areas of public life aside from policing — changes I have campaigned for all my lifetime, including changes such as marriage equality and the Children and Family Relationships Act. I have published ten different Bills since the new Government was formed, including legislation to strengthen the rights of victims of crime and to tackle the evil of domestic violence. I published a mediation Bill and the groundbreaking Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill, which completed its passage through both Houses of the Oireachtas last night. We are making real progress on tackling crime. The Bail (Amendment) Bill was published last December with the aim of making the law as effective as possible in protecting the public against crimes committed by persons on bail. We have responded to a vicious armed feud in Dublin with legislation to strengthen the Criminal Assets Bureau, more money and a dedicated armed response unit for Dublin.

Let me return to words I have used in the past: democracy is not about entitlement; it is about contribution. In fairness to most Deputies and parties in this House, they are genuine, as I am, in their desire to contribute towards finding a resolution to these terrible events for Sergeant McCabe, his family and all the people involved.

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