Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and I thank him and his officials for being here for this very important debate. I commend the Acting Chairman on his honesty and sincere apology. It is disappointing that Senator Mark Daly in his contribution did not, on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, apologise to Deputy Fitzgerald for the wrong his party did to her. I am using this Seanad Chamber to call on the leader of Fianna Fáil and the party's justice spokespersons in the Dáil and Seanad to apologise to Deputy Fitzgerald for the way in which they hounded her out of office. The report called her "selfless", and that is what she was and is. She is a woman of the utmost probity and integrity. Apart from Deputy Fitzgerald, the real victim is Sergeant Maurice McCabe and his family, and they must be at the bedrock of our thoughts.

We all welcome the publication of this tribunal's report as it shone a light on the media and the way in which they report and operate. The report is worth reading in its entirety. It is important to recognise, as Senator Conway noted, that the Minister is facing challenges in the Department of Justice and Equality. A cultural change must now begin in the Garda force.

I join the Minister in condemning the way in which the former Garda Commissioner, Ms Nóirín O'Sullivan, was treated. It is about ensuring we have fairness and equality in our debate and public discourse. Ironically, the one place with accountability is the political arena, as people can be voted in or out. Nowhere else does that happen to the same degree. It is with that in mind that I make my contribution.

I sit on the policing fora of Cork city and county councils. I see the work being done by An Garda Síochána at a local level and the leadership being given by the Minister and the new Garda Commissioner. I welcome his appointment and I hope he will, in time, address the Seanad as a figure of public importance and outline his vision for An Garda Síochána.

We all want accountability and answers. Sergeant McCabe and his family deserve it. They got some measure of response from the disclosures tribunal, although the report of Mr. Justice Charleton makes for sobering reading. He does not pull any punches. He is very clear and cogent in what he says and what he has reported. It would be best for us all to reflect on that. We must reflect on the political discourse in this Chamber.

The Acting Chairman's remarks, as well as his honesty and sincerity, are refreshing, and I admire him because of that. He spoke about new politics on the Order of Business today, but it is a pity new politics have not been followed by Senator Mark Daly on behalf of Fianna Fáil. I wonder why you did not do it, Senator Daly.