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

I acknowledge also that today is International Women's Day, which is significant in the context of the Government's commitment to gender equality and accelerating gender parity in a series of areas. That is one of the priorities of Government.

On the issues raised by Deputy Michael McGrath, I join the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Charles Flanagan, in noting my extreme concern at reports that unlawful deaths are not being properly investigated. Any substantiated allegation of this kind would be very serious and of grave public concern. The issue which has arisen in relation to homicide classification is complex and it is essential to establish the facts clearly. Neither the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, nor his Department has received any protected disclosure or allegation that unlawful killings have not been investigated fully and Garda management is adamant that they have. As of yet, the Government has not seen any evidence to the contrary but we are, of course, very open to receiving it.

The evidence provided to the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality by two Garda analysts yesterday did not indicate that unlawful killings were not being properly investigated. It should be noted that neither the Minister nor his Department have received the dossier referred to by them. Having said that, serious issues were raised yesterday. The Minister of the Department will, of course, investigate fully any allegations which have been made. I was concerned, as were my colleagues in government, to see this outlined in the way it was yesterday.

Deputy McGrath asked when we can get to the bottom of some of these issues. There is an ongoing review which, I am told, will take some time to complete. An Garda Síochána has indicated that it is prioritising the review. The Minister met with senior Garda management on 5 February and received further formal assurances in that regard. The Policing Authority raised the issue with An Garda Síochána at the most recent public meeting on 22 February and it continues to monitor the issue to ensure there is independent scrutiny of how An Garda Síochána records data. I welcome the authority's continued diligence on this matter.

If there is evidence that people have been intimidated or bullied in An Garda Síochána, it needs investigation and clarification. The Government, in particular through the Department, will provide that.

See this speech in context