Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Speculate as we might, the facts of this particular fiasco are not in dispute - more than 14,500 unsafe convictions and close on 1 million fake breathalyser tests. There is one thing the Tánaiste could do that would more than anything restore public confidence and send a very clear message that there is accountability, namely, she could call the Garda Commissioner to account. Her failure and the Government's failure to do that is, as I said earlier, an absolute dereliction of their duty. All of the Tánaiste's fine words about reform ring very hollow because she quite clearly does not mean them if she is not going to observe basic accountability.

I want to ask about the Garda internal audit function because this scandal has actually been rumbled by a mixture of an anonymous letter and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety associated with the RSA. I want the Tánaiste to explain to me how it is that the internal audits within An Garda Síochána got it so wrong. The Tánaiste said the review of the southern region reflected a discrepancy of some 17%, which was well wide of the mark. As worried as I was before this debate, I am more concerned now. I am concerned that there was messing going on and false data being placed on the PULSE system. I am worried that either the audit methodology or system was not capable of capturing these problems, or perhaps there was messing in the audit process as well. Can the Tánaiste answer as to why there was a discrepancy from 17% to more than 100%? What was the figure in the southern region?

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