Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

The purpose of the institution is to deal with members of the public who make complaints against members of the Garda Síochána. It does not exist to resolve disputes within the force. The Garda Síochána is a disciplined force. If people can issue complaints and have them investigated by the ombudsman commission, the entire process would be completely fouled up with reports. Every dispute, rivalry and disagreement within the force would be referred to the commission for consideration. Such a situation would be a cause for concern. Perhaps we can return to the issue in subsequent legislation if it transpires to be a good idea. However, let us deal with what the legislation addresses, namely members of the public making complaints against the Garda Síochána, not members of the force settling disputes among themselves.