Seanad debates

Tuesday, 23 June 2015

Garda Síochána (Policing Authority and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages

 

Photo of Martin ConwayMartin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is a pity, as Senator Marie Moloney said, that the GRA did not have an opportunity to make an oral submission to the Oireachtas committee. That said, the body has given an overall welcome to the Bill. We are not all entirely happy with every aspect of the legislation, but it is a very significant step in the right direction in instilling the type of accountability the people want to see within An Garda Síochána. I was part of a delegation of the justice committee which travelled to Portugal some weeks ago and spent several hours at police headquarters in Lisbon. The absolute confidence the Portuguese people have in their police force is breathtaking. I hope we can re-instil the respect and confidence the people had in the past in An Garda Síochána. That confidence was perhaps eroded in recent times as a result of various issues, particularly the penalty points debacle. The Oireachtas has a responsibility to ensure the Garda is restored to that high level of regard in the Irish psyche. In the past 12 months, since the Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, and the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, have taken up their roles, we have seen that confidence restored incrementally under the leadership of the Commissioner, Ms Nóirín O'Sullivan.

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