Results 1,421-1,440 of 20,758 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: Is it both OLAF and what went through this committee? Have both the European funds and what we went through in this committee been referred to the DPP?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: Whether it is covering both areas is all I want to know.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: We brought up certain issues. We did a report in this committee. Does the investigation cover those issues and the European funds issues?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: What about all the other issues in the report here?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: This is good information because this is not public. The only issues that have gone to the DPP are the issues relating to the transfer of money to sports clubs and the European funds.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: That opens a question for us a committee because if that is concluded, we can have a separate discussion on that. I wish to bring up the issues that have gone on in Limerick, which there is a lot of public discourse about. There are hundreds of articles of various kinds on it. I have a deep concern. I live near Limerick. The morale of An Garda Síochána in Limerick is on the...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: Fair enough. For the future of the organisation, this all needs to be looked at.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: It all needs to be looked at. I hope that, with the new legislation, it will be. If from a corporate point of view the new organisation does not consider this, we are at nothing. What happened in Limerick must never happen again, and what is happening at the moment must not happen again. The way these people are being treated is not acceptable. To refer to what Deputy Dillon said, what...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: Surely the garda should have been told it was going to happen on the day.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: Mr. Hume is not aware. Has he actually looked into it? It is in the public domain; I would not be able to refer to it otherwise. Could Mr. Hume find out? Did he not take an interest in finding out what happened? Saying he is not aware is not an answer. Whether he is aware or not, it should not happen. It puts the fear of God in some gardaí.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: So Mr. Whelan is basically saying that in respect of the coroner’s case in question, which is in the public domain, the garda and his representative were fully aware of what was going to happen.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: He was not aware of what he was being charged with, so how could he have been?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: But GSOC can tell him he is going to be charged.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: Through the inquest process.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: I have a fair idea of what happened. It is quite obvious that the whole process needs to be changed completely and tightened up. Everyone can accept that. It cannot happen again.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: Hear, hear.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: My first comment is for Mr. Justice MacCabe, in particular. We are dancing on the head of a pin a bit. A number of us have expressed concerns. I accept 100% that there are resource issues. I actually have an issue with the quality of investigators. I have a concern in this regard, I must say out straight. I appreciate what has been said by Mr. Hume and others on funnelling people...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: I am referring to cases that GSOC pursued that it felt were vexatious and should not have been taken by a member of the public.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: I do not want the answers now. They may be supplied in writing, if that is okay, because I want the details by year for the past five years. What was the number of internal investigations based on cases that were taken? How many were there in each of the past five years, and what was the outcome in each case? I am referring to where GSOC felt the need to investigate somebody internally...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (8 Feb 2024)

Alan Kelly: Sorry, this question is not one for a written reply. It is one for oral response.