Written Answers. - Commissioner's Attendance at Committee.
Máirín Quill
Ceist:
28
Miss Quill
asked the
Minister for Justice
the discussions, if any, she has had in relation to the Garda Commissioner's refusal to attend a Dáil Committee to discuss drug abuse; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[13810/95]
Austin Deasy
Ceist:
31
Mr. Deasy
asked the
Minister for Justice
if she will make a statement on her discussions with the Garda Commissioner regarding his response to a request to attend a meeting of the Dáil Committee on the Family.
[13783/95]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 31 together. In the interests of fairness to the Garda Commissioner and everybody else concerned, I think it is necessary to begin by reiterating certain facts which were contained in a statement which I issued on this matter on 14 July last, following reports on the matter which had been carried in the media on that day. The statement was to the effect that on 31 May, the committee forwarded a letter to me in the following terms:
The Joint Committee, at its meeting on 16 May, decided that it should be briefed on the problems associated with drug taking in second level schools.
To this end, I would appreciate if you would extend an invitation to the Garda Commissioner to attend a public session of the Joint Committee.
The letter having been transmitted from my office for attention within the Department was then mislaid. I have, incidentally, apologised to the committee for any inconvenience caused in this regard.
My Department received a reminder from the committee on 5 July, made its initial contact with Garda Headquarters on the 10th and faxed a reply to the committee on 11 July, which was in terms agreed by the Garda Commissioner and signed by my private secretary. That letter was as follows:
I am directed by the Minister for Justice, Mrs. Nora Owen, T.D., to refer to your letter of 31 May.
The Minister passed your invitation to the Garda Commissioner who has informed her that the issue you wish to discuss is relevant to the Department of Education.
The role of the Garda with regard to secondary schools relates to talking to the students in relation to drugs generally. For this reason the Commissioner suggests that the Department of Education would be more relevant to the work of your Committee.
He would be happy to assist your Committee and considers it more appropriate to provide a written briefing to your Committee on the aspects that concern the Garda on this issue. This would be more desirable than his attendance at a public session of the committee. Accordingly, if you could prepare, on behalf of the Committee, a list of the questions to which answers are required, the Minister will be glad to transmit it to the Commissioner, for the preparation of the answers to them.
Neither the Commissioner nor I had any knowledge, in advance of the Dáil Committee meeting on 13 July, that the proposal contained in my letter was unsatisfactory from the committee's point of view.
I received a letter from the committee on 13 July seeking the Commissioner's attendance and requesting that: "... the Minister ask the Commissioner to confirm his attendance" at its meeting scheduled for 27 July. That letter was forwarded immediately to the Garda Commissioner. I was advised by the Garda Commissioner that he might be unable to attend the meeting set for 27 July, due to a prior commitment, and I requested him, therefore, to confirm that he would attend a public meeting of the committee either on the date indicated or on such other date as may be mutually agreed between him and the Joint Committee.
There was subsequent correspondence between the committee and the Garda Commissioner and the present position is that the Commissioner has prepared a briefing document for the committee and has confirmed the attendance of a senior Garda officer invited by name to attend a joint meeting of the Joint Committee on the Family and the Select Committee on Legislation and Security which is due to be held on 12 October, 1995. I have also accepted an invitation to attend.
The matters raised by the invitation extended to the Commissioner were discussed between the Commissioner and myself in July, 1995, and he outlined to me at that time his dilemma regarding the role of the Commissioner and his anxiety to fulfil that role as well as cooperate with the committee.
