Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to address this issue. I raised this matter yesterday and what we have seen in the media so far is highly disturbing. I do not always believe everything or, indeed, anything that is published in the Irish Independentso I acquainted myself through other means with some of the background to the story. Apparently a highly decorated detective was taking a case against the State for bullying that he endured in An Garda Síochána. He alleges that he was forced to put illegal phone taps and traces on innocent people. There was no authority given to track their phones or to listen in to their conversations, in some cases for months on end.

There have been numerous phone tapping scandals over the years in this State. The Taoiseach said in 2013 that he operated on the presumption that somebody was listening in to his phone calls. The Attorney General did not have the confidence to speak over the phone to a former Minister for Justice and Equality, former Deputy Alan Shatter, and had to speak to him in person. When the former Deputy Michael McDowell was Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, he refused to confirm or deny that the phones of Deputies were being tapped. He finally admitted in 2003 that the phones of a number of Deputies in this House were tapped. Journalists' phones were tapped and Deputy Catherine Murphy uses burner phones on the presumption that her phone was being tapped when she was looking into the Siteserv issue. The whole thing is rotten.

When did the Minister become aware of the full extent of the disclosures from this officer?

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