Michael D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is an undercurrent in this conversation, not so much in this House but in the media, that the Garda is somewhat corrupt. We should be very clear. The Garda is one of the very few police forces worldwide that is unarmed and it should have our support and not be bad-mouthed.

I raise the issue of US Senator Carl Levin's intervention with his Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in the United States and the US Senate. We should have an all-day session in the Seanad to explore and discuss this. We keep hearing about the Seanad being relevant. The Seanad should invite US Senators Levin and John McCain to come here. We should take this opportunity to explore and inform them what we do. Our rate of tax in this area is a legitimate rate. If other countries are losing business because their rates are too high, they should also recognise that fact. It was Disraeli who said a lie will get half way around the world before the truth gets its boots on. We need to get our boots on.