Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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224. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality whether on the establishment of GSOC, any mechanism existed to transfer pre-existing complaints or correspondence regarding Garda conduct or deaths in Garda custody to the new Commission; whether families who had pursued complaints under the processes in place at the time were informed of GSOCs creation; and if he will review procedures to ensure legacy complaints are not overlooked and that, where families seek to raise complaints outside statutory timeframes, Fiosrú consider that this may be the first occasion on which the Commission becomes aware of the matter. [66304/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The functions of the Garda Síochána Complaints Board, established under the Garda Síochána (Complaints) Act 1986, were retained until Part 3 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 was enacted and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) was established in December 2005. It was not until GSOC became fully operational in 2007 that the responsibility for receiving complaints transferred in its entirety to GSOC.

It was therefore necessary to maintain the existence of Garda Síochána Complaints Board and the related Appeal Board to enable these bodies to conclude cases which they were already investigating. Complaints which the Board had received but not commenced investigating were transferred to GSOC in accordance with the transitional provisions in the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

GSOC has subsequently been reformed under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 and is now known as Fiosrú. Under the Act, Fiosrú is an independent statutory body fully independent in its investigative and operational functions.

The Police Ombudsman is independent in the performance of her functions, including the investigation of cases and the operational organisation of Fiosrú.

I am advised that the Fiosrú website outlines the process for submitting complaints, which can be accessed at the following link: www.fiosru.ie/complaints/gsoc-complaints/.