Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In March 2014, the Attorney General informed the Taoiseach that there was a very sensitive issue that could jeopardise the State because it had come to her attention that Garda stations were taping phone conversations for the past 30 years without having a legal basis. That conversation was had in the middle of all of the controversy surrounding the departure of the former Commissioner, Martin Callinan. The State was involved in one case in particular and the Attorney General wanted to brief the Taoiseach personally at the time without the Minister for Justice and Equality being present. The Garda taping allegations went back over the previous 30 years. What was reported in 2014 appeared to be a serious infringement of the privacy rights of citizens, a right we all value and assume is respected by the State. The Attorney General gave instructions to all Garda stations not to destroy any tapes. The Taoiseach informed the House of that particular serious development after the Cabinet discussed it and confirmed that Mr. Justice Fennelly was to be appointed to examine that and other issues.

The Taoiseach told the Dáil he thought this was a matter of very considerable concern in the sense of having confidence, public accountability and trust in the justice system. For that reason, he advised the Attorney General that all the facts, both of the individual case and the wider trawl, should be assessed by somebody competent in the legal profession to see how serious the issue was. The newspapers say that Mr. Justice Fennelly's second report is being published today. It is meant to be 740 pages long and was delivered to the Department of An Taoiseach and the Attorney General's office last Friday so they have had it for six days. It seems exceptionally convenient that this report is being published when the Taoiseach is due to be in Germany today and will be unavailable to answer any questions in this House or from the media this afternoon, as there is no provision for questions at the press conference in Germany. That seems quite bizarre and similar to the likes of North Korea. Perhaps in the context of every other scandal the Government is presiding over, the Taoiseach has become desensitised to issues of this nature. Perhaps he does not think it is that big of a deal. Everything should be taken in context. In the context of the Bus Éireann strike, the Charleton tribunal, a struggling Garda Commissioner whom the Government continues to support, a homelessness crisis, a housing crisis, a health service crisis - I could go on - the meeting with Angela Merkel is probably a welcome break.

Despite all of that, the Fennelly report and its contents are of huge importance to this House and to the public. Simply because the Taoiseach has decided to publish the report when he is conveniently out of the country at a meeting that apparently could not be changed does not mean he will get away from answering questions in this House on that matter. The report is on his desk since last Friday and today's meeting with Angela Merkel was presumably in the calendar for some time. The public can make up their own minds as to why An Taoiseach chose today to publish such a serious and damning report. My question to the Minister is whether he has seen a copy of the report. Could he confirm when the report will be published? Could he also confirm whether a press conference will be held, and when, and whether the Minister for Justice and Equality will appear in this Chamber to answer questions before the House?

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