Results 8,821-8,840 of 9,409 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Policing Issues (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: 1. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the proposed independent review of An Garda Síochána; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15901/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Policing Issues (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: Obviously, it has been quite an eventful week for justice and An Garda Síochána. Will the Tánaiste give an indication to the House of the status of the proposed independent review of An Garda Síochána which the Government announced earlier this week, and will she make a statement on the issue?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Policing Issues (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Tánaiste for her reply. I agree that it would be appropriate, if there will be mid to long-term changes in An Garda Síochána, that we as Members of the Oireachtas try to get some form of agreed approach in respect of the review. Nonetheless, there are issues which remain arising from the two controversies highlighted by An Garda Síochána this day last...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Policing Issues (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: I wish to indicate to the Tánaiste the basis for my concern about the timelines. In the statement on the timelines provided by senior management of An Garda Síochána, they outlined that it was on 24 February 2017 that a sample of data was received from the Medical Bureau of Road Safety. I asked the witnesses before the Committee on Justice and Equality today when they sought...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Commissioner and her colleagues for attending this meeting. In her statement, the Garda Commissioner apologised for the grave mistakes and wrongdoing of the Garda which led to these two controversies. In regard to the breath test issue, what was the wrongdoing on the part of the Garda for which she is apologising?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: In regard to the wrongdoing, is the assistant commissioner apologising for the fact that members of An Garda Síochána dishonestly recorded breath tests as occurring when they did not occur?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: Is the assistant commissioner saying that incorrect data constitutes the wrongdoing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: This morning, I am asking the assistant commissioner what is the wrongdoing for which the Garda Commissioner has apologised to the Irish people?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: Does the Commissioner accept that that was done, on occasion, dishonestly by members of An Garda Síochána?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: The reason I am concentrating on this is the Commissioner's apology in her statement for mistakes and wrongdoing. Clearly, somebody inputting information inaccurately or inadvertently would constitute a mistake. However, the Commissioner has also apologised for the wrongdoing. What I am asking is, does she agree that one of the examples of wrongdoing for which she is apologising is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: Who in the individual stations had responsibility in that regard? I am not in asking that question seeking the names of individuals. When gardaí return to a station following a checkpoint and say that they carried out 40 breath tests when they only did 20, who in the station is responsible for inputting the information into the system? Is that the function of the traffic inspector or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: In regard to the figures, it is apparent that the input of incorrect figures was systemic throughout the country. Would the witnesses agree with that? For example, in the south eastern region, there was an increase of 153% and in Dublin, the least offensive region, there was an increase of 68%. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: As such, this was an issue throughout the country and not limited to one area.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: Based on Mr. Finn's experience in the force, what was the reason for this dishonesty on the part of An Garda Síochána? Would he agree that the reason for this was, in part, a desire of particular Garda regions to present themselves as being more efficient than they were?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: Each division produces a policing plan which sets out a number of key divisional actions and performance indicators and the person responsible in that regard. I have looked at a number of divisional plans. In regard to the indicators of performance on the road traffic issue one of the indicators in many of the divisional plans was that there would be an increase in the number of persons...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: Is not that an indicator that the number of people who were breath tested was reflective of how well a division was performing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: Did senior management look, on an annual basis, at how many breath tests had been conducted by divisions within the force?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: The assistant commissioner must accept, or does he recall that a number of divisional plans contained references to wanting to increase breath testing and that this was an indicator of performance in the division?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: In July 2014 the Medical Bureau of Road Safety contacted the Garda about the discrepancy in breath test numbers. Was the Garda Commissioner aware at the time in 2014 that this issue had been raised with the force?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Controversies Concerning An Garda Síochána (30 Mar 2017)

Jim O'Callaghan: In July 2015 a working group was set up to examine this matter. Was the Commissioner aware of this?