Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will give a very short reply. The policing, security and community safety Bill contains proposals for the improvement of GSOC. These are to expand the remit of the body to include Garda staff and allegations that come to light other than by way of a complaint from a member of the public and provide that all complaints, other than minor service-level-type complaints, will be investigated by the body itself.

The Bill will streamline investigation procedures to support timely, transparent and effective resolution of complaints and investigations. At the moment there is a twin-track process where you have to decide if it is civil or criminal at the outset and then go back if that is not the case. We are trying to streamline that in order that it is one simple process. There will be restructuring of the body itself, replacing the current three-person commission with an ombudsman and deputy ombudsman model, so that the organisation will have a clear and publicly identifiable leader for the first time. We will provide for office holders to be appointed by the President on the nomination of Government following a selection process by the Public Appointments Service. We will continue to invest. We have seen a significant increase in funding to GSOC in recent years and that will continue. It is not just to carry out its functions, but to expand on its team and staff. In relation to being able to go back on cases, I am informed that will be possible but there will be a threshold. We will set out in detail in the legislation what that threshold will be, whether, for example, the emergence of new evidence or something else coming to light that is substantially different to the case that had been brought about. It will be a matter for GSOC to decide whether it can be reopened, but the possibility will be there.

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