Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also begin by wishing all those injured in the brutal stabbing a speeding recovery. My thoughts and prayers are with them all at this time. I wish to make one thing clear to the Minister. My lack of confidence in her is based on my assessment of the failures she has overseen at the policy level and is certainly not personal, because I do not agree with personal attacks. I accept that the Minister has done some good work in the area of combating domestic violence and violence against women, and this should be acknowledged. At the same time, however, the Department of Justice, under the Minister's watch, has overseen a complete breakdown in morale among rank-and-file gardaí. The Department has utterly failed to ensure that our immigration and entry procedures in this State are robust. The Minister has become a distraction from the kind of focus the Department of Justice requires now. As long as we are talking about the Minister and, indeed, the Garda Commissioner, in whom I do not have confidence either, we are not talking about the issues that really matter to people. We need to address these issues. No one has the right to hold the office the Minister holds. It is a trust and privilege.

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