Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will start where the Deputy finished. He did not hear what I said in my reply. The Judiciary will establish things in an informal way.

The Judicial Council Act cannot be commenced until all of the committees are formed. That is the law as passed here last summer. With the full co-operation of the Chief Justice and the Judiciary, we hope to announce the judges designated very soon. The Chief Justice will be commenting in that regard next week. The Deputy did not listen to one thing I said. These are the judges who will reduce awards, recalibrate the guidelines and replace the book of quantum that is doing so much damage.

With regard to a dedicated fraud unit, the Deputy is wrong to talk about the establishment of such a unit within the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, GNECB, in the Phoenix Park. Such a unit would only deal with blatant established cases of full fraud. It would not deal with a case of exaggeration down the country at all. Commissioner Harris's proposal is to have gardaí with relevant experience and knowledge deployed to each division. These gardaí will deal with such cases. The Deputy is talking about a big centralised unit in the Phoenix Park which would not go down the country at all.

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