Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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767. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will confirm that he will extend the terms of reference of the section 42 inquiry into the Roma children controversy to now include an examination of Garda racial profiling practices and any impact on the Garda conduct and decision to remove the two Roma children from their families; if he will examine the wider question of whether and to what degree racial profiling practices exist in An Garda Síochána; and if he will make recommendations in this regard. [13420/14]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The terms of Reference for the Inquiry being undertaken by Ms Emily Logan into the events referred to by the Deputy are set out in the Statutory Instrument No. 481 of 2013 entitled "Garda Síochána Act 2005 (Section 42)(Special Inquiries Relating to Garda Síochána) Order 2013", notice of which was published in Iris Oifigúil on Friday 13 December 2013.

The Deputy will note that the terms of reference of the Inquiry, as agreed with Ms Logan, outline that “The Inquiry shall have regard to all relevant matters” . The Terms of Reference for the Inquiry were drafted in this broad manner to allow Ms Logan examine any issue which she may deem relevant to her Inquiry. In that context, I do not propose to amend these Terms of Reference.

With regard to the wider question relating to racial profiling, I would inform the Deputy that I have been assured by the Garda authorities that An Garda Síochána does not engage in discriminatory ethnic or racial profiling, and specifically that it does not engage in data gathering or data mining based upon discriminatory profiling in respect of race, colour, language, religion, nationality, national or ethnic origin, ethnicity or membership of the traveller community.

I will, of course, consider any actions that may be necessary arising from any findings of Ms Logan's Inquiry when her Report is submitted to me in due course.