Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. He opened his remarks by saying that today is International Women's Day, a day that is rightly celebrated around the world. I am leading off today because our leader, Senator Ardagh, is not able to attend because she is at the funeral of an extraordinary woman who was 106 years of age. Not only did she have grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but she had great-great-grandchildren and she featured in the documentary "Older than Ireland" and was able to give of her wisdom and knowledge of a long life, well lived. She was buried this morning. She was Esther Nolan from Drimnagh, better known as Bessie. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

As we reflect on the fact that today is International Women's Day and that next Sunday is Mother's Day, we must also reflect on the fact that, in this society, it is 100 years since women were given the vote. Considering that the Greeks came up with the idea of voting thousands of years ago, women have only had the vote for the last 100 years and even today, in this society, women struggle for equality and equal treatment. That equality still eludes us in this society. We must and should do better.

There is ongoing controversy about the treatment by An Garda Síochána of two female civilian members who appeared before the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality yesterday to outline the extraordinary treatment that they were subjected to by senior gardaí to manipulate figures relating to homicide statistics. When one looks at the world we live in today, a world of alternative facts and where fake news is being purported to be carried out by the man who is the epitome of fake news, what does the fact that the Central Statistics Office cannot rely on the figures being put forward yearly by An Garda Síochána about murders say about the system that the gardaí have? It is not just the system but the culture within senior management of the gardaí that is shocking and appalling. If this was an isolated incident, we would be saying this in itself is a concern but add to that the treatment of Garda McCabe and many others within An Garda Síochána.

The problem is that there are no consequences for this type of behaviour within An Garda Síochána. Guys are promoted, get their pensions, retire, are never fired and never go to jail because there are no consequences in this society for people who treat their staff, society and this State with such disdain. I am concerned on this International Women's Day about the Garda figures on homicide because of the issue of domestic violence, how that is being reported and how deaths that occur in the home are not being recorded properly. Action is not being taken on that most serious of issues which women face on a daily basis - domestic violence, which results in injury, harm and, tragically, in murders as well, which gardaí do not want to report properly. What is wrong with the Garda Síochána?One of the institutions of the State that we hold in high regard is undermining our confidence in it because we cannot believe the figures it provides on murders. Furthermore, when the problem was identified, rather than fixing it, the Garda went after those who highlighted it.

The recent whistleblower legislation is not sufficient to protect whistleblowers. The purpose of the legislation should be to protect whistleblowers and promote the idea of rewarding those who bring to light any information they have. Unfortunately, rather than reward people, the system is punishing and crushing them. On International Women's Day, we see what happened to two female civilian Garda employees who tried to do their job and were treated appallingly and with disdain by senior Garda management, mainly men, who put them under severe pressure to lie to the people of Ireland. Senior management wanted them to manipulate the figures to lie to the public. These individuals must face consequences. They must be exposed and fired, rather than being allowed to retire on a pension.