Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

It is section 94 in the Senators' documents but this is not of my doing. The procedure of this House is not imposed by me. Senator Tuffy mentioned resources, which will be a significant issue. The present scale of the Garda Síochána Complaints Board would not be justifiable as an indicator of what will happen when the ombudsman commission is put in place.

The complaints board has a budget of €1.2 million whereas the equivalent ombudsman in Northern Ireland has a budget of £6.5 million sterling, €9 million. The multiplier here is seven or eight, not 15 as suggested by Senator Tuffy but whichever figure is used, there is a remarkable disparity between them. I ask the House to remember that the number of staff in Northern Ireland grew over a formative period on a stepped basis from 40 or 50 to its present number. I do not wish to create an expectation that there will be numerous people immediately sitting at desks waiting for telephones to ring, as that would not be practical. I must ensure the implementation process begins with a solid commitment of resources and an understanding that these resources will be increased so as to adequately discharge the functions of the ombudsman commission over a number of years. One cannot just click one's fingers to produce an agency operating at full capacity on day one. It will take a succession of years to reach an acceptable plateau. Senators Maurice Hayes and Jim Walsh mentioned the designation of Garda stations. This will be addressed in group 12 so I will reserve my fire.