9 Aib 2014, 17:06
The Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality has this afternoon welcomed the publication of the terms of reference of the Commission of Investigation into the practice of recording phone conversations at Garda stations to be chaired by Mr Justice Nial Fennelly.
9 April 2014
Acknowledging that the recommendations it sent to the Taoiseach on the matter have been taken on board, the Committee is calling for the issues related to the management of documents at the Department of Justice and the retirement of former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan be reported on within eight weeks.
Following agreement by the Joint Committee this afternoon, the Chairman of the Committee David Stanton TD is writing to An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD requesting that the Terms of Reference be amended to prioritise two items of the Commission's examination as set out in its original correspondence, namely -
- The handling of correspondence and information by the Department of Justice and Equality and the administrative procedures in place within the Department governing the transfer of knowledge from officials to the Minister; and
- The sequence of events leading up to the retirement of the former Garda Commissioner, Mr Martin Callinan.
Following examination of these matters, the Committee is requesting that the Commission publish an interim report on these matters as soon as possible but, ideally, within a period of approximately 8 weeks. It is also calling for the inquiry to be conducted in public, in so far as is practicable.
As previously indicated, the Committee also wishes to indicate that it reserves the right to conduct its own examination into these and related matters as it sees fit.
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Committee Membership
Deputies: Niall Collins (FF); Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (FG); Alan Farrell (FG); Anne Ferris (LAB) [Vice-Chairman]; Seán Kenny (LAB); Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (SF); Finian McGrath (IND); John Paul Phelan (FG); David Stanton (FG) [Chairman]
Senators: Ivana Bacik (LAB); Martin Conway (FG); Rónán Mullen (IND); Denis O’Donovan (FF); Katherine Zappone (IND); Tony Mulcahy (FG).