Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leader for organising tonight's debate with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in attendance, on foot of the requests made here yesterday. Clearly, many more questions need to be answered on the political events of the past week, the differences in views and the alternative facts, one might say, expressed by different Ministers on what happened at different meetings.As others have said, last night's debate in the Dáil was somewhat farcical; it really threw more heat than light on the events. Over the weekend arising from the political fallout we have seen, I raised the issue of Article 28.4.2° of the Constitution and the principle of Cabinet collective responsibility. I asked the question that remains pertinent as to whether Cabinet members were acting collectively and in accordance with the principle set out in that article in the Constitution when they took a decision last week to establish the commission of investigation.

As we know, of course, we have now moved on from that decision and I very much welcome the Taoiseach's announcement of a public tribunal of inquiry. I acknowledge and pay tribute to our party leader, Deputy Howlin, whose intervention prompted the change towards a public tribunal. It is clear now that we need to air these issues in public. Despite the focus on political fallout over which Ministers knew what at which point and said what to whom, the fundamental issue is the appalling treatment of Sergeant Maurice McCabe and his family, and the awful trauma they have suffered for so many years.

The other fundamental issue, of course, is the serious issue about corruption within policing that Maurice McCabe exposed through his whistleblowing. I ask the Leader for a debate on policing issues and in particular on the oversight mechanisms that have now been established within An Garda Síochána, largely as a result of the brave actions of whistleblowers such as Maurice McCabe. When I was a member of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, we had extensive debates with representatives of the Garda Inspectorate. We went through the report they produced which confirmed the writing-off of penalty points, the issue raised by Maurice McCabe.

Now that the Policing Authority is in place and we have strengthened the power of GSOC it is time to see whether these mechanisms are sufficient to ensure we do not have the widespread practices that Maurice McCabe and others exposed. I ask for that debate, being mindful of the appalling treatment suffered by Maurice McCabe and of the need for the public tribunal of inquiry that has been announced.

I ask the Leader for a debate on immigration policy. Yesterday I had a Commencement Matter addressed to the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, that was dealt with by the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath. I raised the recent Court of Appeal decision of the rights of families, undocumented migrants here who have overstayed student visas but many of whom have children. I understand 70 applications have been lodged to the court pending an appeal being taken by the State to the Supreme Court. I ask for a debate on immigration policy and on our treatment of undocumented persons, given how vocal we have all been in our criticism of President Trump over the undocumented Irish in the US.