Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise two issues, the first of which is the recent Garda scandal and the second is the protection of cyclists on our roads.

How the Government has dealt with the recent Garda scandal is incredible. Most notably, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality has failed to appear in the Dáil today and has, for all intents and purposes, gone to ground. Some 937,000 false breath tests have been registered on the PULSE system and there have been more than 14,000 wrongful convictions. This is the most recent scandal affecting the Garda Síochána, demoralising the force and bringing it to its knees. There has been an inadequate response from the Government. Instead of answering questions and uncovering facts, we have been accused of being "Political" with a capital "P". Responses, or the lack thereof, by the Taoiseach in the Dáil today and the Commissioner, and the deafening silence from the Tánaiste, have been wholly inadequate. It is incredible that the Tánaiste has not attended the Dáil. Both she and the Garda Commissioner must attend the joint justice committee to give a proper and detailed explanation of the wrongdoings. There must be accountability for one of the largest miscarriages of justice in volume terms in the State. Albeit relating to minor offences, this constitutes a significant wrongdoing.

The presumption relied upon in many District Courts around the country that a fixed penalty notice is deemed to have been served correctly is being challenged by judges, undermining the criminal justice system and putting it on the back foot. This is only one of the many repercussions that the scandal is having on the criminal justice system. At a point when we are not too far from the previous scandal and the force is on its knees, we need to know what steps the Commissioner and the Tánaiste are taking to unveil the truth. The culture and morale of the force are at an all-time low. We in Fianna Fáil believe that a Northern Ireland Patten-type commission needs to be established to improve the force and boost morale. We acknowledge the hard work of the majority of gardaí, but this scandal is effectively taking away from them. We need transparency and accountability. It is not credible that the Commissioner did not unveil the content of this revelation to the Policing Authority when they reportedly met six times in the past year. Will the Tánaiste attend the House to make a statement and answer questions on these matters?

The second issue relates to the deaths of three cyclists on our roads in the past two weeks.Yesterday, a lady in her late 30s was killed on Templeville Road, and I extend my thoughts and prayers to her family on my behalf and on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group. We need to start taking seriously the deaths of cyclists on our roads. We need to ensure more protection is given and there is an awareness campaign so motorists take heed of cyclists. If three murders had taken place in this city over the past two weeks there would be uproar. Three cyclists have died in the past two weeks and not enough has been done about it. The Government needs to take action on this.