Lorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy English, to the House to discuss the terms of reference for this tribunal of inquiry. With the greatest respect to him, I am disappointed, however, that the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, is not here herself, considering the seriousness of the matter before us. However, on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I want to lend our support to the establishment of this tribunal of inquiry. The truth must be established and quickly. This matter has gone on for too long. The public has lost faith and confidence in the Department of Justice and Equality and the police service. We need to have this established as soon as possible.

From the beginning of the contacts between our party and the McCabe family, we have fully supported the McCabes for several years. We have also kept contact with the McCabe family, which is more than can be said for the current and previous Governments. Complacency and minimisation of their claims have been the hallmark of these Governments’ handling of the matter to date. It is fair to say this Government has been dragged to this point today where a tribunal of inquiry is being established. While we welcome this, it is long overdue. Justice needs to prevail.

We welcome the broadening of the terms of reference to explicitly include Tusla and other whistleblowers. Sergeant McCabe was failed by the system and the State while the fundamentals of justice and equality were not adhered to. A State agency tasked with investigating such vile allegations as child abuse was used through neglect or otherwise against an upstanding member of the police service. There is nothing more serious. I come from a Garda family and am proud of that. However, the Garda family as a whole has been sullied by this controversy. It is high time justice was done and be seen to be done.