Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the report on the future of policing. In his initial reply he has given us the sequencing as he sees it. There is a divergence in the views taken by some members of the commission on the internal governance remit, which some members, including Mr. Eddie Molloy, with whom many of us are familiar and have worked for many years, believe must be separate from the structure of An Garda Síochána. I agree with this view. Has the Taoiseach or the Government taken a view on the recommendations of the oversight board of An Garda Síochána, the new independent complaints body that would supersede GSOC, and the new body to replace the Policing Authority and the Garda Inspectorate, the policing and community safety commission? At the heart of all of the issues of policing in recent decades has been the lack of a separate and independent oversight body. The Policing Authority is relatively new, but it has done a good job to date.

I would be very concerned if its functions were to be subsumed back into a committee surrounding a Garda Commissioner. Such a measure would indicate that we are moving back to the kind of internal system that has led to serious problems in the past. I would be interested to hear the Taoiseach's personal views on this, if he has had a chance to form them. Should we have a debate on these matters? They are at the kernel of ensuring we have effective oversight of policing into the future.

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