Results 2,321-2,340 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Why would he draw that conclusion? What the Policing Authority said was that it reacted, and in a forthright statement, as the Deputy said, when it heard about the scale of the issues. It put out the statement from which the Deputy quoted stating that it did raise the most serious issues. It was disappointed and annoyed, I would say, that the alcohol testing information had not been passed...

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It was the obligation of An Garda Síochána. Whether it was the obligation of whoever was in contact with the authority, it should have emerged at the various management meetings it had with An Garda Síochána. Deputy Commissioner Twomey has apologised for not making the authority aware of the audit, but the key point is that the audit was ongoing. The authority is...

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: -----it would be concerned about the various issues.

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It certainly would have been far preferable if the Policing Authority had been aware on an ongoing basis what was happening in respect of the audit. However, I make the point that a very broad range of work and oversight is being conducted by the Policing Authority over An Garda Síochána and-----

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is extremely serious. I am not saying it is not serious. However, I wish to make the point that the Policing Authority goes into a whole range of issues in specific areas to discuss, for example, civilianisation, recruitment, the Reserve-----

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: -----and the general management.

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Compensation issues may well arise - that is certainly a possibility - and this will depend on the details of each case. We will have to wait to see precisely what emerges from these court hearings. It is impossible to predict at this point. As I said, all the cases that came to court needed to come to court except for the 5,600 in respect of which there was only one charge. In the other...

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It came from-----

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Both referred it. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport referred it and when we got a copy of the letter, we sent it on as well. Both Departments sent it.

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Both did so.

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: This was primarily dealt with by the traffic division. The head of it at the time was, I think, Assistant Commissioner Twomey, now it is Assistant Commissioner Finn and previously it was Assistant Commissioner O'Mahony, and they were doing a number of different jobs in An Garda Síochána. The main people I had an opportunity to discuss this with were at the ministerial meetings we...

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I want to be clear about a number of the points the Deputy has raised. When I said that no issues stemmed from this audit with regard to the performance of mandatory alcohol testing, MAT, checkpoints or prosecutions emanating from same, and this was contained in the letter of June 2016, I am talking about the breath tests because obviously a different issue emerged in regard to that. Where...

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: No, not at that time they did not.

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I had the report and I was waiting for the further report.

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I said, we went back on a number of occasions and asked for further information. We were constantly waiting to get the complete national audit because that had been subsumed into a national audit that was more thorough and that was due in June of this year.

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department was in contact with An Garda Síochána over the period-----

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: At that point I was not given that figure. I received that figure in March this year.

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy is asking about two different things.

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

An Garda Síochána: Statements (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: No. I did not say I asked for them. I said that what was happening at that point was that there was a full national audit being done and I was awaiting the results. My Department wanted the results of that national audit.