Results 21-40 of 67 for gsoc speaker:Catherine Murphy

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2023)

Catherine Murphy: This would not be the only thing with GSOC and I would like to know how it works. I remember a very long letter from Mary Ellen Ring that spoke about resources not being adequate. We cannot have these organisations there in theory; they must be there in practice. A period of six years tells us something about the practice. I also have concerns about what we are being told in that...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2023)

Catherine Murphy: ...as provided for under the special assistance provisions of section 74 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, these officers were removed from the direction and control of Garda leadership, seconded to GSOC and placed under the direct authority of the GSOC senior investigator on this case. Was this for six years?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2023)

Catherine Murphy: ...to the issue that has gone to the DPP, can we have sight of that report? I think this will be another one of these tests where we see how this travels in terms of the DPP but also with regard to how GSOC works because it will not be the last case that goes there via the Committee of Public Accounts from a hearing. I am not happy. Can we ask about that? Has that report been prepared?...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (9 May 2023)

Catherine Murphy: 430. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank and GSOC officers by rank who have been sanctioned, suspended and dismissed for unauthorised use and-or misuse of the Garda PULSE system in 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023. [21162/23]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (9 May 2023)

Catherine Murphy: 431. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of data access requests that An Garda Síochána, GSOC and CAB have made to telecommunications and social media companies in the past three years to date in 2023, under the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011; the number of access requests that were approved and declined by the companies that the...

Communications (Retention of Data) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (5 Jul 2022)

Catherine Murphy: ...that threat is serious enough to justify secret surveillance of individuals or groups. That situation is rife to abuse. The Murray review was originally commissioned on the back of a discovery that Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, had obtained the phone records of two journalists without their knowledge or consent as part of a criminal inquiry into a third party. It...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (26 May 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Yes, for some additional information. We should ask GSOC if any of the protected disclosures that were made were against GSOC itself. It would be useful to have a clarification regarding those that were assessed by an independent or external consultant and, if so, the cost for doing that. Sometimes it is useful and important that things are done externally. It is just to get that...

Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 May 2022)

Catherine Murphy: ...provided for? It would be useful to hear the Minister's response. In the proposed policing, security and community safety Bill, the Government is proposing to bring civilian staff under the investigative remit of the body that will replace the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, with the same level of scrutiny as is given to members of the Garda Síochána. This...

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

Catherine Murphy: I welcome the witnesses. My question is on staffing. In 2019, GSOC had 125 members of staff. This has increased to 127. GSOC will have new powers. After a debate in the Dáil on GSOC, we received a letter from the then chair outlining some issues with capacity and staffing. Do the witnesses anticipate there will be significant additional resources to deal with the new powers? Is...

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

Catherine Murphy: Even before new powers were added, we were being alerted to the capacity of GSOC. Has analysis been done on existing powers? How does it relate to the additional workload?

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)

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?

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

Catherine Murphy: ...get a note on what has been the longest investigation? We want to see whether this system is working efficiently and if there are sufficient resources to do the job. With the additional powers, GSOC will be able to take on a larger caseload. In the absence of such powers now, GSOC is restricted. When does GSOC anticipate those powers and resources will be in place? Is there a timeline...

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

Catherine Murphy: Does GSOC have a rough estimate of the timeframe it envisages?

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

Catherine Murphy: We will review it. I have a few questions. According to the briefing note, there is a case management system. I assume it is possible to capture how long it takes to conduct investigations and GSOC would be able give an analysis. It is absolutely essential that this is the case in order that it can properly estimate what its needs will be. Is that case management system sufficient to do...

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)

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)

Catherine Murphy: ...does not fit somewhere else, they can send a letter to the Committee of Public Accounts. Sometimes it is more about public accountability than public accounts. In the context of understanding GSOC's role and the public understanding of the role, I see, for example, that 855 complaints were determined as inadmissible. In many cases that may well be people inappropriately directing...

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)

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?