Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste is talking about introducing the most significant reforms in policing since the foundation of the State. This is a joke. The Tánaiste talks about the Police Authority being a robust body. It is toothless. We told the Tánaiste this when she brought the legislation forward. She introduced changes in respect of GSOC that have left it still unfit for purpose and unable to do the job. That is part of the reason we are here today.

The Tánaiste has not depoliticised the situation. That is why she is directly connected to the Garda Commissioner now. The Tánaiste must be afraid of her life that she is going to go down with the Commissioner. The Tánaiste refused to separate her office from that of the Garda Commissioner. The Policing Authority is not the body needed to create a buffer between them.

The Taoiseach spent two and a half minutes today explaining why the Garda Commissioner is not fit for office, after which he gave her the dreaded vote of confidence. In football terms, when a manger loses ten games in a row and the chairman comes out and gives him a vote of confidence, everyone knows the manager is finished. What in God's name is delaying the Taoiseach? Is the Government waiting for a more politically expedient point to get rid of the Garda Commissioner? She is finished and the Government know she is.

There is talk of another report. People are sick to the back teeth of hearing that. Garda Inspectorate reports were published in March 2014, November 2014 and December 2015. They were good, independent reports. However, the people that were expected to initiate the reforms were those who needed reforming. Reform of the Oireachtas and the Department of Justice and Equality is also needed. Does the Tánaiste know how many pages are in the Garda Inspectorate report of 2015, Changing Policing in Ireland? There are 442. How many more pages are needed? We know what needs to be done but there has not been the political will do it. There has not been the will in the Garda hierarchy to do it.

Not only has the Commissioner lost the support of the people, she has lost the support of her own troops. The gardaí on the ground who the Tánaiste says are doing great work up and down the country have had enough of the Garda Commissioner. They cannot wait for her to be gone. In the past couple of months, I have been approached by a huge number of gardaí wondering when in God's name are we going to get rid of her. The Tánaiste has to stop delaying. The Commissioner has not a hope of seeing out the year. There are a couple of investigations which will cut the ground from under her. The Government is just playing with the issue and playing for time.

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