Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We live in a society with a dysfunctional police service. For years Fine Gael was supposedly the party of law and order. When the Taoiseach was a mere Cabinet Minister, twice he distinguished himself on policing issues, and we were never shy to recognise as much: getting the penalty points issues onto the record of the Dáil and supporting whistleblowers, whom he called "distinguished". Now that he is no longer one of the herd but the leader of the pack, his tone and demeanour in respect of this issue have changed, and I say that not lightly but with some cause for concern. That has not been the way he has conducted himself before now, and it would be regrettable if he were to go down that road now. The Garda Inspectorate report has all the answers to what we need for a modern policing service. The Patten commission cleared out the old guard not just at the top, but also throughout the middle ranks in order that a new broom and a new culture could be developed. That is and has been the job on hand, and none of the bodies the Taoiseach mentions - GSOC, the Policing Authority and so on - have been fit for purpose. His own Government has identified as much. I therefore genuinely appeal to the old Deputy Varadkar, when he was a Minister, to go back and look at these cases. There are distinguished whistleblowers there now. I ask him to listen to the points I am making about the deficiencies in the investigations and to come and ask us for more information.

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