Results 1-20 of 60 for gsoc speaker:Niall Collins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Oversight: Discussion (14 May 2014)

Niall Collins: The delegates from GSOC have previously outlined to this committee and in several media appearances instances of high-level non-co-operation and low-level non-co-operation from An Garda Síochána when GSOC is processing and investigating complaints. Will Mr. O'Brien indicate what progress has been made in this regard and whether the situation has improved to GSOC's satisfaction?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Protocol Issues: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (12 Feb 2014)

Niall Collins: ...is saying today. Mr. O'Brien has told us that when he briefed the Minister on Monday he informed him that he opened a section 102(4) investigation into An Garda Síochána. Is it the case that GSOC is now conducting an internal investigation to ascertain the source of the leak? In other words, is GSOC investigating itself? Is it GSOC's intention to continue that investigation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Oversight: Discussion (Resumed) (28 May 2014)

Niall Collins: From her experience as the Ombudsman in Northern Ireland and her knowledge of GSOC, what is her opinion on the resourcing of GSOC given the relative size of An Garda Síochána? In other words, how well resourced was her office in terms of the complement or size of the PSNI as against the resourcing of GSOC and the capacity it has to do its job in the context of the size An Garda...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (28 Jan 2015)

Niall Collins: ...of An Garda Síochána but not in his capacity as head of national security, for the operations of An Garda Síochána.”.”. This amendment would bring the Garda Commissioner under the remit of GSOC. Much of the commentary on GSOC has related to its ability to hold all members of An Garda Síochána properly to account. It is fair to say that GSOC's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Appointment of Member of Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Motion: Minister for Justice and Equality (15 Jul 2015)

Niall Collins: I thank the Minister for her introduction of the nomination of Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring as chairperson of GSOC. I want to express my thanks to the outgoing GSOC chairperson, Mr. Simon O’Brien. We always read that GSOC is fraught with difficulties. It is an organisation that has a difficult task. In fairness, if there were not working tensions between it and An Garda...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Investigations (7 Jul 2015)

Niall Collins: ...been appointed to carry out an independent judicial inquiry into this. It is appropriate following the call from the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, AGSI, for such an inquiry. A GSOC spokesman stated at the time that it often engaged in peer review, whereby it got sister organisations from outside the jurisdiction to peer review some of its case work. Is that still...

Reports of Unlawful Surveillance of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission: Statements (11 Feb 2014)

Niall Collins: ...of the comments made by the confidential recipient to the whistleblower. It is simply not good enough. What we have seen in the Minister's statement is a play on words in respect of what the GSOC statement said in respect of whether there was an alleged bugging offence. The Taoiseach quoted the GSOC report and said that no sophisticated evidence of technical surveillance was found....

Leaders' Questions (13 Feb 2014)

Niall Collins: ...has engaged in a co-ordinated strategy that has served to undermine the Office of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. On Monday, the Taoiseach took to the media and demanded that the GSOC level with the Minister for Justice and Equality. He further chose to repeatedly misquote section 80 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and misinform members of the public in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (5 Feb 2014)

Niall Collins: The Minister outlined why he has now decided to refer it to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC. The Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality was united in its view that the matter should have been referred much sooner. Be that as it may, we have had a number of public utterances from current and former members of GSOC about some of the constraints and...

Cooke Report: Statements (19 Jun 2014)

Niall Collins: ...the relations between the Garda Síochána Ombudsman and the Garda. Those questions remain to be answered. In addition, there are serious questions to be answered regarding the possible bugging of GSOC's offices. The Government, however, has put a very successful spin on some of the contents of the report along the lines of, "This matter is now settled, there is nothing more to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Protocol Issues: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (12 Feb 2014)

Niall Collins: ...unfortunate that An Garda Síochána has found itself during the last 48 hours the subject of what appears to be completely baseless innuendo. He added that no information has been furnished to him by GSOC suggesting that An Garda Síochána was involved in any way in what gave rise to concerns in GSOC about its security. Is it fair for us to assume that when Mr. O'Brien...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Issues (18 Feb 2014)

Niall Collins: 539. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the steps he has taken in view of reports that the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, was spied on; the nature of the espionage; if GSOC investigations were compromised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7499/14]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Administration (8 Jul 2014)

Niall Collins: 642. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will outline in tabular form the funding and staff levels of GSOC; the number of cases dealt with by GSOC on an annual basis from 2007 to date in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29446/14]

Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission: Motion [Private Members] (18 Feb 2014)

Niall Collins: ...tunnel so we could move on. Behind everything going on there is a fundamental concern for all of us as the two major pillars of the justice system, An Garda Síochána and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, have been under a sustained spotlight by all of us for the wrong reasons. We all want a strong Garda Síochána and ombudsman, and we want to...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) Bill 2016: First Stage (27 Jan 2016)

Niall Collins: ...is of paramount importance that the independence and freedom of the press are respected and upheld. The issue that came to fore, and that was brought to our attention, was the fact that the test that GSOC applied on whether to access the records of journalists - and, by extension, people with whom they had been in contact - was not clear. There is no transparency around it; nor is there...

Matters relating to An Garda Síochána: Statements (26 Mar 2014)

Niall Collins: ...that vein but for the fact that the independent constitutional office of the Comptroller and Auditor General did its work and reported coherently. We then had the issue on the alleged bugging of GSOC. The Minister immediately moved to turn the potential victim of a scandal into a villain. He put GSOC chairman Simon O'Brien into the dock. He brought in an outside company to...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) Bill 2014: First Stage (19 Feb 2014)

Niall Collins: ...opportunity. We all appreciate that the Bill is timely given the controversy which has been raging in recent days and the quite apparent divergences between the Garda Síochána and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, in recent months. There is something very disturbing about the fact that while we discussed GSOC and the independent inquiry again this...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) Bill 2014: Second Stage [Private Members] (3 Oct 2014)

Niall Collins: ...perception of An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and Equality and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. The problems which have manifested themselves in An Garda Síochána and GSOC and which were reported to the former Minister for Justice and Equality were ignored, dismissed or glossed over in order to save the embarrassment of those in senior...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Second Stage (21 Oct 2014)

Niall Collins: ...Justice, Defence and Equality. This indicates that the Government's initial commitment to the necessary reform is waning. This Bill does not go far enough in securing the independence and impartiality of the GSOC from An Garda Síochána or the Minister for Justice and Equality. Fianna Fáil proposed the Garda Síochána (Amendment) Bill 2014, which was discussed in...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (4 Feb 2015)

Niall Collins: ...assumed that the members of the traffic corps acted within the legislation that enables them and that if she had an issue, she could complain to the local chief superintendent or take the matter to GSOC. That was the level of the engagement I had with her. She went away very frustrated because, with all the public discourse we have been having about GSOC, her perception, rightly or...