Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Regarding having a timeline for publishing something every year or five years, the Bill leaves it up to the Garda Commissioner, the national office and other groups, as the authority believes appropriate, to do that at a time of its choosing rather than at an appropriate time, as done by the Oireachtas. It would be appropriate for the Department to outline and make clear when the authority should do that, as opposed to stating that it would do so from time to time, as appropriate. We could then be left with priorities over a long period.

As we have often seen in legislation, while sections are included there is no subsequent follow-through on the actual actions required to produce a report. If something is done once, there is no comeback by the Oireachtas other than to ask questions at the policing committee as to when the next report is due. We will not be able to ask the Minister these questions; the authority will tell us whether it will produce a report. There is no requirement in the Bill for it to ever produce another report. That is the entire purpose of this section.