Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his support for the commission. I agree that having the opportunity outside of a crisis situation to consider the wide range of issues in regard to the Garda Síochána is very important. As Deputy O'Callaghan said, an important consideration in establishing the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland was that it would not impede any reforms already in train or planned.

I agree with the Deputy on monitoring. A very important point is that I have no doubt that the Policing Authority will robustly monitor the implementation of recommendations. I will be publishing the second report shortly. That largely concerns monitoring the implementation of the recommendations.

It must be remembered that the modernisation programme involves a five-year plan. The Garda is not going to be in a position to implement all of these recommendations overnight. It is important that it is evident that recommendations are being taken seriously, implemented and moved forward, including key recommendations such as civilianisation, the Garda Reserve, and the continuation of the recruitment process.

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