Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I ask the Minister of State to consider some brief questions. After the disciplinary action has been heard in the North and the issue has been dealt with by the Garda Commissioner in this jurisdiction, would the Minister see his way to granting a garda or his/her legal or union representative the right of audience with the commissioner or deputy commissioner? I do not suggest that the case should be re-opened or reheard, but that a synopsis of the case should be put before the Garda Commissioner, or his deputy, bearing in mind that they will not have heard the verbal evidence but will merely have received a transcript. I am aware that when disciplinary actions are dealt with by the bodies on which I sit – the Medical Council and An Bord Altranais – the person who is the subject of the action is always given a final right of audience before the individual who has the final say.

I have read the details of the actions that can follow a disciplinary hearing. The gravest action is dismissal and the next – an alternative to dismissal – is the requirement to retire or resign. The second rank of punishments seems to involve a similar kind of action to dismissal. Would be possible to provide for the suspension of a garda rather than resignation or forced retirement? It is something the Minister of State might consider.