Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I respect his ruling 100%. While we may also have been disappointed, we knew that Deputy Sherlock had every right to speak for as long as he chose to and we did not complain.

Deputy Clare Daly and I also support being allowed to appoint a Commissioner over 60 years. It would be terrible if people over 60 years would be disqualified. Considering the experience they may have garnered in their lives, it would not be rational. We have been involved in raising many issues on the workings of An Garda Síochána from as long ago as 2012. Conor Brady noted recently that the question is not merely one of a new Commissioner. Many issues are at stake. We remain very disappointed in the Government's approach to bringing in real change to how things are done and to bring our police force to a place where all Irish people can be proud. We find the Government's position has been poor and unfortunately, despite all the years of controversy, there are many ways in which not much has changed. Some things have changed, but not enough. It would be terrible if the work of people such as Maurice McCabe or John Wilson eventually came to naught, because the people want things to be done differently. Deputy Clare Daly and I met another Garda whistleblower late last year after receiving a large amount of detailed information through the namaleaks.comwebsite. In what is becoming a familiar story with whistleblowers in this country, the garda in question spotted a problem in how policing was done at a station where he served. He brought the issue to his superiors' attention in the belief that they might address the problem and perhaps even thank him. In a small way, he managed some of that but what he did not expect was he would have to face a majority of superiors and colleagues who did not like what he was doing. His pursuit of the issue ended up with him being reprimanded by his superiors and alienated from his colleagues. Eventually, after six years of not being supported, he was forced to take stress-related sick leave in December 2016. Things got worse a little over a year later. Stressed, in despair and needing help, the garda found himself in a bad place and ended up unresponsive on the back seat of a bus. Two gardaí arrived to remove him but removing him was not enough so they gave him a good clipping. When they realised the fellow they were clipping was also a garda, the two gardaí scuttled off and left him behind. Not alone had he been chewed up and spat out by the Garda system but when he was at his lowest and really needed support - as might any of us at times - he got a punch on the way down.

The whistleblower’s crime and how it had come to this was as simple as discovering blatant non-enforcement of liquor licensing laws. He found there were favoured publicans who were allowed to run pubs with immunity and without proper licensing in the Killarney area. When the whistleblower attempted to enforce the law and change things so all publicans would be treated equally, he was discouraged by his colleagues, alienated and ridiculed. On one occasion, rather than encourage this garda to enforce the law, an inspector, a next-door neighbour of one favoured publican, issued a breach of regulation report against the garda because he put the incorrect address on an envelope. In May 2016, the whistleblower encountered an after-hours street brawl during which the premises known as McSorleys in Killarney continued to serve patrons. After dealing with the brawl, the garda confronted the publican. About a week later he was reprimanded by an inspector for harassing this serial offending publican. The Garda whistleblower was encouraged to come to an arrangement with the publican or the inspector said he would send a complaint up the line and the whistleblower would not come out well of an investigation. This same inspector threatened to use CCTV footage, supplied by the publican, to destroy this garda unless he apologised and came to an arrangement with the law-breaking publican. In total, this garda prepared 16 files under liquor licensing laws for prosecution. One of them was successful and resulted in a €150 fine but in many cases the summonses were not issued, not lodged or withdrawn. When they did reach the court the summonses were often struck out. In one case the judge bizarrely cleared the courtroom before striking out the case. On 6 December 2016 the whistleblower went sick. On 20 December 2016, Killarney gardaí were quoted in the Irish Examineras saying, without a hint of irony, “they have a tough approach to late night drinking and drunkenness in the town - and to compliance with the liquor licensing laws".

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