Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputy that there is no delay being put in the way of the establishment of the commission. It is a high priority for the Tánaiste. It is worth recalling that it was only on 11 April that it was agreed in principal by Government that such a commission would be established. We had a wide ranging debate in the Dáil and a lot of the issues raised were reflected in the approach the Government was taking. These include the broad base of the agenda it has, the structures and management arrangements, the appropriate composition, recruitment and training of personnel, the culture and ethos of policing, the appropriate structures for oversight and accountability and the legislative framework for policing. It is a broad-ranging approach and care must be taken to ensure that we do not in any way undermine the important work, which the Deputy recognises, of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate or of the Policing Authority.

Both of these bodies are not only growing in public respect but we can see the mark of the impact of their recommendations in some of the operational actions of the Garda. There is a long way to go, and everyone in the Dáil has recognised this and that there have been some really disturbing events which have led to the point where we are establishing this commission. It is coming at the right time. We are establishing this deep commission at a time when we have made significant progress. It would be churlish not to recognise some of the successes of the Garda in recent times. If we look at the crime figures we see substantial reductions in many crimes which have impacted on people's lives.

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