Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief. I welcome the Minister. I want to remark again, without making a political charge, that our language and our words are very important. What we say gets covered. I know that today in the Order of Business, Senator McDowell raised the matter of the Garda Commissioner as he did again today. To be fair to him, he said there was a professional issue that he could not comment on. There is an onus on us not to be judge and jury.

Senator Mullen made a comparison with a school principal being on secondment. This is not about the Garda Commissioner being on secondment. I am not standing up for anybody, but to be fair in this debate, only allegations are being made and no facts have been put out there. For many of us there is a serious question of confidence in An Garda Síochána, its management and how it does its business. Senator Ó Ríordáin referenced the Minister's role and commentary. I have always found the Minister to be a person of the utmost integrity, a public servant who serves the people and has not in any way tried to obfuscate or deny justice to anybody. I have always found her to be proactive and willing to engage and work with people.

The people want truth. They want the culture within An Garda Síochána to change. The last Government and this Government have made important changes in the area of protected disclosures, to how people are appointed and promoted, and that is to be welcomed. We criticise the Minister, Deputy Ross, at times about judicial appointments, but in the case of gardaí it was important that we made that change and broke that link for promotions within the Garda. I was glad to hear Senator McDowell say that there were comprehensive terms of reference and that is to be welcomed.

In the past public inquiries went down tangential routes, took off along different boreens and avenues, and ended up serving for years. In the pursuit of truth and justice, I hope that we do not take years to arrive at a conclusion. The people were jaundiced with and fed up of tribunals.

I do not say this in an obstructionist way, but I also have a serious concern about cost. I know one could say that a cost cannot be put on justice, but I sincerely hope that we do not allow this tribunal to become a gravy train for a few. I might be wrong in that remark and I do not mean to be disrespectful, but I hope that we do not allow it to become a cash cow for some people. I hope Senators who are members of the Law Library or whatever will understand where I am coming from. It is not an attack on the justice system or on their profession, but we cannot allow this tribunal to become like what happened in the past.

The issue of the independent review of An Garda Síochána has arisen in tandem with the tribunal and I would like to address it. I welcome that decision taken yesterday. My only concern is that we are now going to head down the road of having the Policing Authority, Garda Inspectorate and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC. My view, in simplistic terms, is that we should have maybe one body overseeing the Garda, or maybe two including GSOC. I am afraid that we will continue to create further chains of authority and further committees or organisations that we perhaps do not need.

I do not know Mr. Justice Charleton other than what I have read about him, and I wish him well. Senator Mullen referred to a house and the length of stay of visitors. Mr. Justice Charleton is a good public servant and deserves to be supported. That is why it is important that all those with any type of knowledge or involvement must come clean and must be involved.

I have always found the Minister to be a person of absolute probity. She has served and serves the people. On the matter of criticism of her, I am glad Senator Ó Ríordáin tempered and toned down his remarks tonight, because she is a Minister that has brought change to a country and is honest and decent. Some of the comments passed about her, not necessarily in this House but in the last week, have been unfair. This tribunal deserves to be supported, but I present that caveat about costs.