Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality I thank all the Senators who have contributed to this debate. I am pleased that the Bill has attracted a significant degree of consensus, particularly in regard to its key provisions which provide for an expansion of the remit and powers of both GSOC and An Garda Síochána's Inspectorate. I am grateful to Senators for their support in regards to these aspects. I hope, given the level of consensus that has been demonstrated, that it will be possible to enact this Bill as quickly as possible.

As I said in my opening contribution, this Bill is one of a series of measures that have been taken by the Government as part of a comprehensive programme of justice reform which will substantially strengthen Garda accountability. This reform programme is being informed, to a substantial extent, by the excellent work undertaken by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. However, I want to stress again that this Bill is not and was never intended to be the only or primary legislative response from the Government to the relevant work of the Oireachtas joint committee.

I again draw the attention of the House to the fact that the Minister published the scheme of a Bill for the proposed new policing authority before Christmas. The scheme takes into account a significant number of the recommendations made by an Oireachtas joint committee. The scheme is being considered by the joint committee in the course of pre-legislative scrutiny and the Bill is being drafted on a priority basis.

The Minister intends to bring the Bill before the Oireachtas as soon as is practicable. The establishment of a new policing authority will be a significant element of the Government's programme of reform to tackle head-on the systematic failures which have come to light in An Garda Síochána. The Bill contributes to these reforms by proactively enhancing the capacity of GSOC and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate. Once again I want to express my gratitude to Senators who have expressed their support for the Bill and look forward to its early enactment.

I shall respond directly to Senator Quinn's significant contribution on the area of crime prevention. About 18 months ago I read an article by Neil Gaiman, which was published in the The Guardian newspaper. He wrote about attending a conference of prison operators in the United States. He mentioned that when they make plans for the potential prison population in 15 years hence they look at the literacy levels of ten and 11-year olds in any given district. Therefore, I suggest we have a conversation another time on different and more expansive ways to tackle crime.