Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach said officials should be congratulated for pulling together various strands of all the Departments during the Covid-19 pandemic. I am sure the process has been very challenging. Where in the name of God did the general scheme of the Garda Síochána powers Bill, published on Monday by the Minister for Justice, Deputy Heather Humphreys, come from? It was described by one legal academic as a land grab by the Department of Justice and having read the information about it, I must agree, particularly in light of recent and historical controversies that we have raised here. It is unacceptable when we think of the cases of Dara Quigley, George Nkencho and Terence Wheelock.

We know emergency powers have been used overwhelmingly in working class areas and against young people and there is every chance these new powers will be used in the same way. We also know there is an utter lack of accountability when it comes to Garda actions. Some of the shocking details include the fact that search warrants could be issued by Garda superintendents, as opposed to judges. This reminds me very much of the internment without trial period in Northern Ireland. These powers go too far and are too sweeping. We must ask where the Taoiseach or the Department of Justice believes the need for these powers comes from

Where is the demand for such sweeping powers of the State and police control coming from? We know this started with emergency powers given during the Covid-19 pandemic but will the Taoiseach give us the justification for these powers? It is shocking that the Bill purports to allow a position where the presence of a lawyer at an interview would no longer be guaranteed. The Taoiseach may as well ask Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to introduce internment without trial as pass this sort of legislation.

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