Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Taoiseach said, the legislation will come before the Dáil in the first week of October. It is my intent that the legislation will not be delayed in this House but that is dependent on the co-operation of all sides. I understand that at the meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health this morning concerns were expressed by a variety of spokespersons for different organisations. If the views articulated by the Irish College of General Practitioners, ICGP, and the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in terms of the infrastructure not being in place are true then we need to have that conversation in tandem with the passage of the legislation. I hope that by the end of the year we will have all of the necessary pieces in place. Yesterday's announcement from the Áras was important. Equally important were the comments of the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health about the Bill. I look forward to the debate on that legislation and to its passage as quickly as possible.

I join Senators Bacik, McDowell, Feighan, O'Sullivan, Murnane O'Connor and Coghlan in welcoming the publication of the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and in wishing Drew Harris well in his new role as Commissioner of An Garda Síochána.I welcome the publication of the report and compliment the chairman, Ms Kathleen O'Toole, on a comprehensive, thorough and thought provoking report. There is universal acceptance that the culture within An Garda Síochána needs to change but, equally, as outlined by the commission, its structure and management, along with the culture and oversight, must also be tackled. I might get attacked on this but 2022 is the centenary of An Garda Síochána and there is a window between now and then to bring about this much needed reform. Members have spoken about the Patten report in the North on what is now the Police Service of Northern Ireland, PSNI. It is a watershed moment for An Garda Síochána and one we should embrace and move forward with. I give a commitment that we will have the Minister in the House to discuss the report.

The report makes many innovative and exciting proposals. I am not going to go through it all but the Minister has requested the Department of Justice and Equality, in consultation with the Department of the Taoiseach, to move quickly to put in place arrangements for an implementation group on policing reform and an implementation programme office, as recommended by the commission. I hope we will debate the report in tandem with what the Government is doing. I join Senators O'Sullivan, Coghlan and others in endorsing the need to have balance in the way people criticise members of An Garda Síochána on social media, in the media or on any other platform. They are guardians of the peace and go about their work professionally - whether it is in sporting organisations, as voluntary stewards, in the traffic corps or during the papal visit. We need to give them support and stand with them.

The Commissioner made comments on the headgear worn at the protest and incident on North Frederick Street. We cannot allow, however, a situation where agitation transcends the rule of law. We must uphold the law at all times; that is what democracy is about. We know what happens if we go down the road of anarchy. The democratic process is one we should all stand up for. An Garda Síochána deserves our support and I support fully the remarks of Senator O'Sullivan about its members.