Vol. 403 No. 1
38 Mr. McCartan asked the Minister for Justice if he has received the report of the Garda Complaints Board as required, within three years of its establishment, under the Garda Síochána (Complaints) Act, 1986; if he will publish the report; the action he proposes to take on foot of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The triennial report 1987-89 on the working of the system of investigation and adjudication of complaints by the Garda Síochána Complaints Board was laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas and published in August of this year.
The report gives a very full account of the operation of the board during the period in question. It also contains a detailed analysis by the board of the working of the system of investigation and adjudication of complaints under the provisions of the Garda Síochána (Complaints) Act, 1986. The board's conclusions and recommendations on the operation of the system are being examined by my Department in consultation with the board and the Garda authorities and I will consider all the issues arising from that examination when it is completed.
One of the areas of most concern to the board is the question of their staffing complement. Deputies will be aware that, notwithstanding the extreme difficulty in procuring extra staff for any area of the public service, four additional staff were assigned to the board towards the end of 1989. I am satisfied that the assignment of this staff has helped to ease the board's difficulties. In addition, I am currently pursuing with my colleague the Minister for Finance the possibility of providing further staff resources for the board.
Has the embargo of 11 August 1989 by the Garda Complaints Board on the investigation of new applications or new complaints been lifted now by reason of anything the Minister has done, or is the situation still appalling as outlined in the report, that no new work is being progressed by the board?
At the moment we have in hand about 126 complaints which were received prior to 11 August 1989. No substantial work remains to be done on these files. They are still open mainly because replies to queries or the outcome of civil or criminal proceedings are awaited. Complaints normally take four months to go through the system. Operating in an acceptable manner the true arrears figure would be approximately 750, that is taking in last year's as well as this year's. I assure the House that I am not happy about the situation of undue delays in the processing of complaints because of the difficulties for the public and the members of the force. I assure the Deputy I am doing everything I can in relation to the resources that are available to try to ease a totally unacceptable situation.
