Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, I am very sorry to hear about the death the Deputy mentioned. I do not know the details of the individual case but I am sorry to hear about it and extend my condolences to the individual's family and their loved ones.

On the specific allegations the Deputy makes, I am not at liberty to say whether they are true or not or to what extent they are true. It is not my role, and cannot be my role, to carry out judicial or quasi-judicial investigations.

I have the letter that Kathleen O'Toole, the chairperson of the commission on future policing, wrote to the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan. In the letter she expresses the view that it would be a serious mistake to proceed now to select a new Garda Commissioner until the commission has produced its report on the transformation of the national policing arrangements, and of course we will give full consideration to her views on this matter. She also says that she is struck by the large backlog of sensible recommendations from the inspectorate and others and the very slow pace of action on them. The Government shares her concern that the pace of Garda reform and cultural reform within the Garda has not been adequate to date.

The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, will certainly drive that forward with the new acting Commissioner. It is important, though, to acknowledge the very hard and very good work done across the country by our gardaí, who keep us safe from crime and prevent terrorism. We live in a low-crime society, and that is in no small part because of the men and women of An Garda Síochána.

The Deputy will be aware that we are increasing the size of the Garda force. It is already at 13,500; now it will increase to 15,000. More civilians are being appointed to the Garda, including to senior positions, which is a very important reform. The Policing Authority was established by the former Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald. The powers of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, have been increased. We have appointed the Commission on the Future of Policing under Kathleen O'Toole to make further recommendations as to how we can reform the Garda. A major investment programme is also under way in IT, vehicles and stations. We have also agreed a pay settlement with gardaí, which will bring average salaries to €70,000 a year, which is a very good salary but one that they very much deserve. Of course, in return for all these measures, we are right to expect the very highest standards of probity and professionalism.

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