Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Ó Laoghaire on the introduction of this motion. The events of recent days have refocused the minds of many people on the problems in the Department of Justice and Equality. Nobody inside or outside this House has contradicted the contention that such problems also exist at the highest levels of An Garda Síochána and indeed at the heart of the Government. All of that was borne out in the treatment of Maurice McCabe. Following the revelations of the extent of these failures, there needs to be a full examination of the role of officials in the Department of Justice and Equality, current and former Ministers for Justice and Equality, the Office of the Attorney General and An Garda Síochána. We believe the information that has come to light in recent weeks raises serious questions about the institutions of the State, the protagonists in this affair and the scope of the terms of reference of the Charleton tribunal. Given that the terms of reference failed to catch information which was subsequently put into the public domain, we find it impossible to believe they can be considered fit for purpose.

Most people who have been watching and reading about what has happened over the past week believe certain documents and information were specifically suppressed or deliberately not handed over to frustrate Mr. Justice Charleton's work. There is a belief that the restrictions on the documentation that could be handed over, and on the scope of who could be called before the tribunal, were deliberately contrived to limit the findings and somehow arrive at a pre-ordained result. If this is the case, it is imperative that this motion passes in order to ensure public confidence is restored. It has shocked the Irish public to the core to learn that when a sitting Minister was made aware that the Garda Commissioner adopted a strategy of questioning the motives of Maurice McCabe by trying to smear him by means of a completely false allegation that he was a child abuser, she did nothing about it. If the terms of reference are not broadened to take account of the recent revelations, I fear we will be back here to have the same conversation again. This is not about a head on a plate; it is about procedures, accountability and doing what is right by whistleblowers.

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