Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree oversight and scrutiny are very important so this culture change within An Garda Síochána needs to happen. I intend proceeding with the appointment of an independent chair to oversee the implementation of the 50 recommendations in the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

In order to be implemented, they will require a number of pieces of legislation and there will be ample opportunity for the House to debate in detail the respective legislative proposals, from the stages of preIegislative scrutiny to final enactment. I do not accept the point made by Deputy Daly about internal governance and an internal board. This proposal is for a board which is similar to those which exist right across the public sector and can be supportive of the Garda Commissioner in managing the programme of change.

This Oireachtas must take on board what the Charleton report said about the political response to tribunal reports in general. We all know there can be heated debate and furore about the setting up of tribunals, but little or no considered debate when the reports are published. In this instance we have seen allegations about what happened in private at the O'Higgins commission being treated by Deputy Daly and others as fact, even though we had set up a tribunal to establish the facts. We have a number of reports and recommendations from the Charleton tribunal and I acknowledge that work, which sits neatly beside the 50 recommendations contained in the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing. We will now proceed with the implementation progressively and we will have an opportunity to debate it, as is normal practice.

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