Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise with the Taoiseach the position of Garda Commissioner, Nóirín O’Sullivan, and the virtual conveyor belt of crises that continue to engulf An Garda Síochána.

It is no secret that public confidence in the Commissioner is in tatters. It is certainly not difficult to see why. The Commissioner has failed to tackle persistent malpractice and a blatant lack of accountability in the upper echelons of Garda management.

Yesterday, the scandal surrounding serious financial irregularities at Templemore and the Commissioner's handling of the affair took yet another turn. At the Committee of Public Accounts it has emerged that the Comptroller and Auditor General was misled by the serving Garda Commissioner. The Commissioner wrote to the Comptroller and Auditor General on 31 July 2015 telling him or reassuring him that all was well regarding the integrity of Garda finances. However, the Commissioner knew that this was not true. She had known that, she says, since 27 July 2015.

The Committee of Public Accounts has heard evidence of attempts to contain, if not cover up, financial irregularities at the Garda training college. As part of that process, senior management sought to muddy the waters in communications with the Department of Justice and Equality.

As the Taoiseach knows, there were in excess of 50 bank accounts being operated at Templemore and it has now emerged that GSOC is conducting a serious fraud investigation into what has become known as the Cabra account. The Taoiseach is aware of all of these scandals. He should make no mistake that any refusal to act by his Government makes this a crisis not only in policing but also in the leadership of the State. If, like his predecessor, Deputy Enda Kenny, he chooses to turn a blind eye to the seriousness of the situation, the credibility of his Administration will be broken. He has an opportunity to avoid that and do the right thing. He can bring to an end the evasion and political gymnastics that so dominated the previous Taoiseach's handling of these scandals and turn instead to an approach that would really change the administration of policing for the better.

Yesterday, during the proceedings of the Committee of Public Accounts, the Commissioner could or would not express confidence in her senior management team. How can anyone have confidence in the head of police if she cannot express confidence in her own team? It is incredible that anybody, not least the head of Government, could seriously argue that the Garda Commissioner is the right person to rebuild public confidence in policing. While the political establishment in the State stretches the bounds of credibility every day, even in Ireland credibility does not stretch that far. The Taoiseach has to face up to reality. The Commissioner has to go. Her position is absolutely untenable. Does the Taoiseach have confidence in Nóirín O'Sullivan?

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