Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

13. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will carry out an inquiry into the reports that Shell gave boxes of alcohol as presents to the Garda station in Rossport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39809/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Allegations of this nature have previously been made to the District Officer at Belmullet in December 2011. I was advised by the Garda authorities that inquiries conducted into those allegations at the time found no evidence of alcohol being distributed to members of the Garda Síochána by or on behalf of the company named.

The Garda Commissioner subsequently appointed a senior officer to inquire into the matter in light of fresh allegations which had been made.

I am now informed by the Garda authorities that on the 19th of September this matter was referred by An Garda Síochána to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) under Section 85(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 in the light of certain statements made during the course of that inquiry.

The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is an independent statutory body. It was established under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. The Ombudsman Commission, under the Act, is required and empowered to:

- Directly and independently investigate complaints against members of the Garda Síochána;

- Investigate any matter, even where no complaint has been made, where it appears that a Garda may have committed an offence or behaved in a way that would justify disciplinary proceedings.

In these circumstances it is a matter at present for the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission to decide what action they consider appropriate and members of the House will appreciate that I am not in a position to comment further on the matter at this time.