Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Senator is doing quite well on YouTube as it is. I thank the 12 Senators who made contributions to the Order of Business.

Senators Ardagh, Ó Clochartaigh, Ó Ríordáin, Craughwell and Colm Burke raised issues in respect of the Department of Justice and Equality, Sergeant Maurice McCabe and the Tánaiste. It is important that we understand that this is about a parallel process, as Senator Boyhan put it last night. We established a tribunal of inquiry, the task and aim of which is to ascertain the full facts and to present a report. We will then deal with the contents of that report and any recommendations or ramifications. I reiterate that there is no obfuscation from this side of the House. All the facts are out there. All we want to see is justice for Sergeant McCabe and his family - pure and simple. It really amuses me to hear some people at times coming in here talking about protection of whistleblowers when their own legacies and their own parties' protections of whistleblowers are quite appalling. In this House last night, in the Dáil yesterday and again during Leader's Questions in the Dáil today, the Tánaiste answered the questions. She had no role in respect of the strategy. The advice of the Attorney General last night, which was read out in the House, was quite clear. It would have been illegal to get involved or to interfere. If that happened the drums would be beating in a different way this morning. That is the reality. Let us make it clear, the email referred to this morning had no implications because the Tánaiste did not get it until 15 May.

I agree with Senators. That is why the Taoiseach has asked the Department of Justice and Equality to see how the Toland review is being implemented in the context of what has happened. I was never a Minister - Senator Ó Ríordáin was a Minister of State in the Department of Justice and Equality - but there is something radically wrong when one sees misinformation being given to the Taoiseach three times. That beggars belief and is not acceptable. If one listened to "The Late Debate" last night, the former Minister, Alan Dukes, spoke about his difficulties in the Department of Justice back in the 1980s. This is 2017. I do not want to get involved in a blame game but something is radically wrong in the operation of the Department. However, if the Minister was involved in day-to-day activities she would be accused of political interference and there would be no independence.

We on this side of the House have nothing to hide. This is about ensuring that the full facts emerge, that the tribunal is left to do its work, that the Toland review which is being carried out is implemented in full and that we put in place robust strategies in all Departments to ensure accountability. As politicians, we are the only people who are actually accountable. We get voted in and we get voted out. There needs to be real accountability. We cannot continue to have debates about who did what and who did not, who knew when and who knew what. It is about time the Chinese walls were taken down.