James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the measures he proposes to take following the recent publication of the Morris report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21160/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The sixth report of the Morris tribunal deals with the arrest and treatment in custody of twelve persons arrested in connection with the death of Richard Barron in 1996. It finds that those persons were unlawfully arrested and detained, and that some were mistreated in custody, through verbal and, in some cases, physical abuse. These arrests followed directly or indirectly from the investigation into the death of Mr Barron, which itself was dealt with comprehensively in the Tribunal's second report published in June 2005.

The report also deals with allegations that interview rooms in Letterkenny Garda Station were bugged and that conversations between solicitors and persons detained in Letterkenny Garda station were secretly recorded by members of the Garda Síochána. The report concludes that these allegations are false.

The Garda Commissioner has unambiguously apologised to those who were found by the Tribunal to have been mistreated. He has appointed an Assistant Commissioner to examine the Report with a view to addressing the findings as they relate to individual members.

The report makes a number of recommendations arising from its findings, mainly centred on how improvements could be made to the law and practice relating to the conduct of interviews with persons in Garda custody, but also touching on other aspects of Garda investigations. The Commissioner has appointed a Working Group to examine any areas of policy, structures, practices and procedures in the Garda Síochána that warrant action arising from the recommendations of the Report. I will also be giving very careful consideration to these recommendations, and I will consult with the Garda Commissioner on emerging proposals for change.