Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement on the work to date of the Garda Ombudsman Commission. [34531/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission opened its doors to complaints from members of the public seven months ago. It received 1,869 complaints from members of the public in the period 9th May to 30th November 2007. Of these, 455 were deemed inadmissible and a further 560 are pending. 854 complaints were deemed admissible. A further 231 cases were referred to it by the Garda Commissioner in accordance with the provisions of section 102(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

It is important that the work of the Ombudsman Commission be the subject of careful and reasoned evaluation when there is sufficient experience of its operation. In my view informed scrutiny will be greatly facilitated by the rigorous nature of the statutory reporting requirements imposed on the Commission itself under the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

The Ombudsman Commission must report to the Minister on its activities within three months of the end of each calendar year. Furthermore it must within two years of its establishment submit a report to the Minister on its effectiveness (including any recommendations for improvement) and on the adequacy of the functions assigned to it by the Act. In addition, the Ombudsman Commission is required to report to the Minister on the general performance of its functions within five years of its establishment and is specifically empowered to make any other reports to the Minister that it considers appropriate in relation to grave or exceptional circumstances. Finally, as Minister I am obliged to lay all of the foregoing reports before the Houses of the Oireachtas.