Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Smith makes a point in regard to oversight and general accountability. It is fair to say the proposals in the report on the oversight architecture are perhaps the most far-reaching contained in the entire report. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland approached that issue by separating governance, oversight and accountability. Its proposed solution is the setting up of three new bodies, namely, the board of An Garda Síochána, a policing and communities safety oversight commission, and a new complaints body. It is important we continue to streamline oversight within An Garda Síochána. We will have an opportunity to have further debate in this regard, but a very strong recommendation is that the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission would be replaced by a new complaints body that would handle all complaints against An Garda Síochána that raise serious doubt about the standard of policing, the integrity of An Garda Síochána itself, the matter of potential breaches of law, the violation of human rights and corruption. It is important that we work on the implementation of many of the far-reaching recommendations in that report and acknowledge the very stark and direct references by Mr. Justice Charleton in this comprehensive report.

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