Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am not going to comment on an individual set of circumstances that the Deputy has raised. It would not be appropriate for me to do so, particularly as I am becoming aware of them for the first time.

Of course, that is the very reason we have organisations like the Policing Authority and Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, in place, namely, so they can handle and respond to issues that are of public concern. The Government has been crystal clear, as have the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, across yesterday afternoon and last night in a two-hour debate in this Chamber, in recognising that the allegations and issues that have been raised, especially in regard to the scale of discrepancy between the numbers of breathalysers that were used across recent years, are of profound concern to the Government, as they are of profound concern to a public that depends on An Garda Síochána to be able to implement the rule of law impartially and fairly. That is why the Government yesterday decided on a set of actions to respond to this latest issue. More broadly, what we will be doing now, and the Oireachtas needs to play a role in this, is engaging in looking at the Garda modernisation agenda, looking at the role of GSOC, looking at the template that was laid out by Mr. Olson in the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, which forms part of the modernisation agenda the Garda is committed to, and looking at how this needs to be supported and driven further.

The Government has made very clear that, as part of this, what will be needed is a thorough and overall review of the structure of and the culture within An Garda Síochána that builds on the thinking that has been done to date but acknowledges that, because of the scale of concern that is being raised, a fresh approach is needed in this regard. This is what the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and all in the Government are committed to doing. We support the Commissioner. We support her in her efforts to deal with the issues that are being described. For my part, as disturbed as I am by these facts that have now emerged, what is crucial now is that they are in the public domain and that they can be looked at in a transparent manner. What is finally necessary, and this will happen, is that the Government will put in place a thorough and proportionate response to an issue that we know is causing such disquiet throughout the country.

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