Brendan Ryan (Labour)

——every issue I have raised about the Garda has never been responded to by any Minister for Justice from any party. They were all genuine issues. For example, I remember an individual who signed confessions for offences that were committed on days when he was in prison. I also recall a senior officer saying that the vast majority of child abuse was carried out by homosexuals and was part of an attempt to undermine the family. I quoted that frequently in this House but no Minister for Justice ever spoke to me about it.

Like the nursing homes issue, this should not come as a complete surprise to us and we should now deal with it. The solution is a Garda ombudsman with the same powers and independence as the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.