Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 95:

In page 42, subsection (1), line 10, after "Reform" to insert "who has applied for an advertised position, has been interviewed and selected and",

It is clear from section 64 that the staff in the Garda Complaints Board will have the opportunity to transfer to the ombudsman commission. I understand this is the usual practice. However, I am not entirely convinced this is appropriate in these circumstances, if the staff in the complaints board is transferred in its entirety to the ombudsman commission.

The commission needs a fresh start and I believe this Bill provides for that. The existing staff should be eligible to transfer to the commission but should first be evaluated and left in no doubt that this is a new regime and old practices will not apply. That is the gist of the amendment as tabled. A new start is required and I hope it is not just a matter of transferring old practices into a whole new system as proposed in a different context. As somebody put it to me, that would be like going to court with the devil, with the jury from hell. I am not suggesting that applies to this section of the Bill, but I do not want to want to see the ombudsman commission just replacing the old complaints board.