Vol. 411 No. 4
45 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Justice if his attention has been drawn to the source of the media leak regarding the surveillance of a Dublin brothel; if he is concerned that this and other leaks from the Garda have undermined public confidence in passing information to the Garda; if he has any plans to deal with this very serious matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I want to say first, as a general matter, that I greatly deplore any disclosure of confidential information which may be in the possession of the gardaí. I have communicated my views on the issue to the Garda Commissioner and have emphasised to him the necessity of ensuring absolute confidentiality of such information. I may say that the commissioner fully shares my views.
As regards the specific disclosure referred to in the question, I am informed by the Garda authorities that this matter is at present the subject of a full internal Garda investigation. The House will, therefore, appreciate that it would be inappropriate for me to make any comment on it.
