Results 81-100 of 114 for gsoc segment:8228857

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Brian Stanley: To clarify, GSOC has not had situations where there are a particularly large number of complaints relating to a particular station or division.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Catherine Murphy: ...there will be disciplinary issues that will be dealt with by the guards but they could ending up being something that a protected disclosure is made about. Does that kind of conflict happen? Has GSOC identified things in relation to which there should be greater understanding of boundaries?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Catherine Murphy: I have a question on the details of the number of queries handled. When GSOC opens a case and investigates, have its decisions always been accepted by the Garda Síochána or has any recommendation or finding been revoked by the Garda Commissioner? What is the relationship? Is a decision generally accepted?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

James O'Connor: I will just ask the question again, to be direct about it. Essentially, if GSOC is undertaking a major investigation into wrongdoing in the Garda, obviously this would entail substantial legal costs. Are these included in the figures provided for the staff costs of the organisation? That is a direct "Yes" or "No" answer.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Imelda Munster: Does Mr. Hume agree with, understand or even appreciate descriptions in the media of GSOC's investigators' relationship with the Garda? It is deemed they are frustrated with the alleged lack of co-operation from officers. There were references to delays in handing over documents and making witnesses available. Does Mr. Hume accept there is merit to that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Brian Stanley: ...while it was an 11% increase on the previous year so there has been a substantial increase. Regarding the allegations in complaints, from 2020 to 2021, that figure increased by 22%, according to GSOC's briefing information. The allegations in the complaints increased year on year between 2020 and 2021 by 22%.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Brian Stanley: ...that, will Mr. Hume cast his mind back to pre July last year? Are those investigations being completed in the 16- to 20-week period. I refer to the disciplinary investigations not supervised by GSOC but carried out internally by An Garda Síochána of officers. Was that happening?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Ms Emily Logan: I was just going to mention that protocols between the Garda Commissioner and GSOC are provided for in our current legislation. We did not and do not see ourselves as party to that dispute. In answer to the Deputy's question as to whether staff work on call, as a relatively new commissioner I would say the organisation is a very dynamic one. Our investigators do not sit...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Brian Stanley: That is a matter for the Garda. I refer to the pay in relation to investigation work it is doing on cases with GSOC. The figures I have show that in December 2020 there were 32 investigating officers and eight assistant investigating officers. In other words, in December 2020 the Commissioner would have had 40 investigating officers or thereabouts, is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

...those did not go far because complainants did not engage or we found early on that there was good reason, but approximately 60% of the complaints received last year were opened as investigations in GSOC.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Catherine Murphy: .... It is an independent organisation and there needs to be respect for that independence. Has there been a difficulty with the division of labour? Has there been conflict between the guards and GSOC in relation to who should have responsibility for particular investigations?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

...complexity because there is quite a difference in the threshold between a criminal investigation and a disciplinary one, as the Deputy will know. The new legislation simplifies that and allows GSOC to get into and conclude an investigation in a much more efficient way.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Ms Emily Logan: It might be useful to clarify that the role of GSOC is not necessarily to carry out unannounced inspections. Our role is specifically around the response to the public, to the Minister, and to the Garda Commissioner on any referrals or notifications about serious harm or death, and to investigate those complaints and those referrals. We do not, in fact, carry out any...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Catherine Murphy: ...McCabe because there was a culture in a station. Is it possible to make that kind of complaint or should the complaint about the individual be made to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC? How would something like that be handled?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Mr. Justice Rory MacCabe: I convey our gratitude for the opportunity the committee has given us this morning. This is a learning process for us as well. We would welcome the visit to GSOC of a deputation from the committee to give members an opportunity to speak to the people involved and look at the way the work is done. That might be useful. It would also be good for our staff.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Catherine Murphy: ...26, and in 2019 there were 44, so it is less. There are two questions, and I will deal with that one first. What kind of investigations would be opened in the public interest? What would prompt GSOC to do that? Are there examples the commission can give us where it has opened investigations and what happened to those?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

...whole process and explain it. When those 1,332 complaints are admitted, we make a number of determinations as to what happens with each complaint. The first thing we do is look for criminality. GSOC retains any allegation of a criminal nature. Such allegations are never passed on to the Garda Síochána to investigate. There were about 557 such allegations last year. We...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Neasa Hourigan: I would hope to glean from these figures when going through them if, for example, referrals to GSOC under section 102 of the Act were considered to have been upheld or actioned? They may been the investigations that were opened in the public interest and if we add in some of those numbers, we are still looking at very low levels of complaints being upheld. If one adds them up, it is less...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Brian Stanley: ...of population and the size of the district and all that. There are new divisions now as well. It is to be hoped they will work well. That completes the questions. I thank our guests from GSOC for attending and its staff for the preparation and briefing notes for the meeting. I also thank the Comptroller and Auditor General and his staff for their attendance and assistance. I wish...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Catherine Murphy: ...stands out for me and on which we get queries from time to time is that of George Nkencho. People ask us what the timeline is. This is the type of case that is in the public domain. How does GSOC deal with these cases? What is the standard timeline for recommendations under section 102?