Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 41: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress made to date with regard to the implementation of the first five reports of the Morris Tribunal; the recommendations that have not been accepted or that have still to be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40163/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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As I indicated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 87 of 2 October, the disturbing events uncovered by the first five Morris Reports have been the subject matter of strong action on the part of the Government. This includes: the passage of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the most significant piece of legislation relating to the Garda Síochána in the history of the State, the establishment of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission with almost 100 staff — including its own investigative staff, the establishment of the Garda Inspectorate with its international policing expertise, as a source of independent and expert advice for the Minister, new more streamlined discipline regulations,the imposition on members of a legal duty to account for their official actions, the empowerment of the Garda Commissioner, with the consent of the Government, to dismiss a member of garda, sergeant or inspector rank where he has lost confidence in the capacity of the member to discharge his or her duty and where dismissal is necessary to maintain public confidence in the Force, new promotion regulations and a competency based promotion system, a whistleblowers' charter and the appointment of an eminent former senior civil servant as a Confidential Recipient .

Other areas of organisational development and modernisation are being progressed within the terms of reference of the Garda Síochana's published Corporate Strategy 2007 to 2009 including a number of specific change projects under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner, Strategy and Change Management. These changes are indicative of unprecedented reform and a new era in policing and will go a long way to ensuring that the events in Donegal will not be repeated.

Other recommendations of the Morris Tribunal, in particular those contained in the most recent published reports, remain under consideration.