Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Jim O'Callaghan for his constructive and practical motion.

I want to pick up on some comments by the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, in regard to overdoing it and particularly in regard to oversight and accountability. The very reason the Department in charge of An Garda Síochána has been consistently behind the curve on Garda issues is that the Policing Authority apparently needs more power. A lack of adequate oversight and accountability is the reason that An Garda Síochána ignored the Policing Authority on its first test in regard to this issue and will continue to ignore it unless it is given those extra powers.

It is the reason that those who think the solution to this is to call for heads are wrong. A few heads rolled in the lifetime of the previous Government, including the former Minister for Justice and Equality and the former Garda Commissioner. Any reading of the Fennelly report will show how hasty we were to seek the head of the previous Garda Commissioner. It did not change the culture. There was a chance to change the culture when appointing the replacement for that commissioner but the Government did not take it.

The role of the Department in its management and its functions in regard to An Garda Síochána has to be looked at. The Department of Justice and Equality is too big. There is too much going on there. There needs to be complete reorganisation and reform of the Department and its role in policing. If we are going to introduce real reform, there may be a need for a Minister for An Garda Síochána who would be directly responsible for guiding An Garda Síochána through the next number of years. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, is in here one night introducing legislation on property, the next night she is in dealing with An Garda Síochána and the night after that she is in dealing with legalising workers. It is ridiculous. She does not have enough Ministers of State to do that. The role of the Department needs to be reformed.

I fully support Deputy John Curran's point that the Minister should have attended the conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, AGSI. This year in particular, the gardaí on the street needed endorsement and support from the Minister and the Government. Let us not forget they are having enormous success at the moment in terms of drugs, gangland crime and on-the-ground work. They do not feel that they are receiving support from the Government. The Minister had the opportunity to go and listen.

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