Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I would not like what I said to be interpreted in the manner that Senator Walsh has suggested. I absolutely accept that our police service is up to a good standard in terms of the work it does, but we do need to modernise our structures. The types of structures that have been brought into the Police Service of Northern Ireland are something we could model our structures on in terms of the accountability of the police service.

The purpose of the Labour Party amendment was, on the one hand, to render the Garda more directly accountable to the public but also to improve its effectiveness. It was a positive proposal. As I made clear yesterday, I do welcome the section in general and the thrust of the legislation.