Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

On the point made about the Bill being discussed more on Committee Stage than on Report Stage, I could not agree more with the Senator. However, blaming the Minister or his officials is not correct, it is misguided. It is a matter for each House to decide how the business is dealt with. I welcome what the Leader said, namely, that there is no guillotine on the Bill. It will be debated for as long as is necessary.

On the amendments, most are of a technical nature and do not need much elaboration. Senator Higgins drew attention to one amendment, on which I support him. This relates to the code of ethics in section 16. I am pleased it is mandatory and that a code of ethics will be established to include standards of conduct and practice for members of the Garda Síochána. The mechanism for doing so is fair and practical. In any group of 12,000 to 14,000 people, everyone will not conform to the best standards to which they should aspire. Therefore, there is a necessity to introduce a code of ethics, which I welcome. This was discretionary in the Bill, but it was made mandatory in the Dáil. It is now back before us and I welcome the change, which will be to the benefit of members of the Garda Síochána in the future.

I have no difficulty allowing members of the Garda Síochána in training in Templemore to be members of the GRA. However, if the force is run properly, there should be no necessity for representation at that stage. Nonetheless, the provision exists. As Senator Higgins said, gardaí provide a fundamental public service, and anything that detracts from that by way of union representation or whatever is a distraction we should try to avoid. I hope we will not see a repeat of the "blue flu".

The Morris tribunal has given rise to many of these amendments, and in that regard I compliment the Minister. Making these amendments to the legislation before the recess, rather than deferring them for three or four months, is the right move. If he had taken that course of action, he would have been open to criticism in the House, which would have been justified to a certain extent. As Senators said, when the further Morris tribunal reports are published, they will probably give rise to further refinement and changes in the Bill. There is nothing wrong with that because it is an ongoing process. These changes are not set in stone. It is the best legislation as perceived today and constructed by the Parliamentary Counsel, the Minister and his officials. By going through both Houses of the Oireachtas, it should be commensurate with the needs of a properly-structured and efficient service provided by the Garda Síochána to the public at large. As time goes on, issues will arise which will lead to changes being made.

The Minister has been very amenable to suggestions made. The House came together on some of the issues and, where there was a consensus, he took the issues on board. This is reflected in the Bill, for which we should commend the Minister.