Dáil debates

Thursday, 8 March 2018

12:20 pm

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Clearly, the Government does not think it is okay to lie, bully and intimidate people in any walk of life in Ireland, but particularly in An Garda Síochána. That is why the Government and the Minister are obviously concerned about the evidence that was given yesterday. We will act on that but we also need to recognise that the Minister for Justice and Equality only heard that evidence for the first time yesterday. We need to follow up on it and ensure that appropriate action is taken. To say that the Government is not committed to reform of An Garda Síochána and holding people to account is absolute nonsense. If one looks at the actions which the Government has repeatedly taken, responding to various scandals in An Garda Síochána, which has resulted in a tribunal today, the Government's whole approach is about a fundamental reform of both the culture in An Garda Síochána and the structures to ensure that we enforce and require a new culture in the future, to ensure that the type of allegations which we heard yesterday are dealt with in a much more comprehensive way than seems to have been the case.

I thank the two women concerned for the courage they have shown in raising these issues publicly yesterday. I assure them and everyone else that the Government will take that testimony very seriously in how we follow up on it. I reassure anybody who feels that they need or want to come forward to expose wrongdoing, inappropriate behaviour, intimidation or bullying in An Garda Síochána, or any other arm of the State, to come forward and do so, and that the Government will take it seriously and act on the evidence it gets while working with whistleblowers and others who are brave enough to come forward. I cannot be any clearer on that. What I cannot do is give the Deputy a comprehensive response on how the Government will act because that evidence was only given yesterday. To be fair to the Minister and his Department, he needs time to consider an appropriate response.

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