Results 4,181-4,200 of 14,388 for speaker:Clare Daly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: On Ms McPhillips's points that the Minister could not get involved or give advice, when the email emerged, nobody asked the Minister to interfere in the strategy or anything like that. We are trying to get our heads around the astonishing lack of curiosity about the strategy in this correspondence. We have to take it against the background of what happened with the whistleblower issue and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: So when it became known that a colleague in the Attorney General's office was aware of this, would Ms McPhillips not have asked what was going on? Her job is to advise the Minister. Should she not have asked if it meant that the position which had been stated publicly and repeatedly about the full support of the Garda Commissioner for Maurice McCabe had changed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: With respect, I do not agree with Ms McPhillips. It is about performance of Department of Justice and Equality officials and where their powers were. Ms McPhillips has put up the argument that she advised the Minister on the basis that she could not be involved or be seen to influence the ongoing commission. That was in May 2015. There was no question of the Minister improperly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: It is not alleged at all. The transcripts were published in May 2016 and it is clear in black and white that the Department of Justice and Equality had emails and conversations at that stage affirming that it was aware of that strategy. The impression given in the speeches delivered by the former Minister more or less implied that the legal strategy was a surprise to her and she had no...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: The Department's corporate governance framework 2016 tells us it is the Secretary General who has the overall management responsibility for the quality of advice submitted to the Minister. In light of this, will Ms McPhillips comment on the quality of advice? Does she think it was appropriate in light of what she now knows?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: I did not ask that. I mentioned the context of when there was not a standing commission of investigation, when that was over and the Minister was asked about issues of the Commissioner's attitude to Maurice McCabe. She was clearly given information which said the Commissioner had the full support of Maurice McCabe when officials in the Department of Justice and Equality knew that was not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: The management board meetings have standing items on them, namely, current topical issues, and media and communications matters. In 2015, was the issue of the Commissioner's legal strategy ever discussed as one of the topical issues at the board meeting, particularly in and around May 2015 or July 2015?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: Does Ms McPhillips not think that is a bit surprising when three of the management board members were privy to this material and RTÉ at the time clearly knew something was afoot? Does Ms McPhillips not think this was a bit strange that two headings which were items were not discussed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: Under media and communications matters, there is correspondence from RTÉ on this. The Department's corporate framework states the board expects that matters of major strategic importance, or which would give rise to significant risk, will be brought to the attention of the board through the relevant responsible member. Given that the legal strategy was clearly a matter of strategic...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: I put it to Ms McPhillips that this is patently not the case. It is poor governance and blatant disregard for the Department's procedures.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: The Toland report made a point about the Department's deferential and passive approach to An Garda Síochána. How would Ms McPhillips describe the current relationship? Will she give some examples of how the relationship is no longer deferential?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: Did Mr. O'Callaghan not agree with Toland's categorisation or have matters changed in the meantime?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: Does the Department accept the Toland report in all of its aspects?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: We know from the Fennelly commission that the former Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, had a close relationship with the former Secretary General of the Department. There were between 30 and 40 texts per month between the two, which works out at one a day. We know Ken O'Leary was almost always sent the same text. Was the level of contact enjoyed between Martin Callinan and Brian Purcell...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: I was not implying they were having an affair. Was it the same as the previous incumbents' contact?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: Is it that they were in regular contact or were they not?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: Is daily contact a bit excessive or indicative of a bit too close a relationship?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: How many governance meetings have been held since the Toland report? Has the issue of the current treatment of whistleblowers in An Garda Síochána been raised at any of these meetings? I do not want details but will Ms McPhillips confirm if the matter has been raised?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: How many governance meetings have there been?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Functioning of the Department of Justice and Equality: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Dec 2017)

Clare Daly: What really screams out from the emails is the complete lack of surprise in the strategy shown for the people who received the emails on 15 May and 4 July. We have to see this in the context of the backdrop of what was taking place at the time. I find it almost unbelievable to think there was not further discussion on these issues through communication, dialogue and further emails. Was...