Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-17
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

I thank the Deputy. There are two parts to what he asked. One is the matter of a protected disclosure and that is the information given by the individual last night. As I said, it is for individuals to disclose what they have disclosed, but it is not for me to discuss it. The matters discussed last night about the office, as the Deputy mentioned, are clearly, as was set out, the subject of an ongoing investigation, so it is not for me to comment on them. That is set out clearly in the 2014 Act.
My understanding of the new unit in An Garda Síochána was that it was a move to enhance the unit. I note it was in January 2025. An election had taken place in November 2024 and there was a change soon after that, but that change in the unit was to move it from being a part-time unit to a full-time unit and to ensure the garda of most senior rank was an inspector, which was not the case before that. That was clearly the intention in establishing a new unit. I am afraid I was not party to whether people transferred over. It is not information I am aware of, but the whole intention of establishing a new unit in 2025 was to enhance it, put it on a permanent footing and make sure the most senior rank in it was inspector, which had not been the case previously.
It is important for me to stress that there is an onus and obligation on each of us in this House, particularly given what we saw in the past, which was the reason for introducing legislation in 2014 and for enhancing it. It is why at the end of this year a review will start to look at the legislation, whether it is operating effectively and whether there are things we need to change. I encourage and suggest, particularly after last night, that all of us and the stakeholders involved in this need to make sure representation is made to that review because we need to make sure legislation we enact, which has put this into an independent process away from the political system, as it should be, is operating as effectively as possible.
When you put something at arm's length from the political system, you need to make sure it is operating effectively, as it should be, while maintaining that independence. I do not think any Minister for justice should have a role in a protected disclosure. No Minister for justice should be the investigator in something that is brought forward. I do not think anybody in this House believes they should.
We now have an opportunity to review the legislation. I believe it has worked effectively. Again, I commend the many people who, despite great personal impact on their own lives and the lives of their families, have come forward to highlight issues, not just in An Garda Síochána but also in other workplaces. That is the importance of the legislation. It is not just about An Garda Síochána but An Garda Síochána is quite literally charged with protecting people in this country and with the security and protection of this State. We need to make sure the structures within An Garda Síochána are such that, if people are not doing things correctly, there are repercussions. We need to make sure there are oversight structures in place. As I have outlined, many such structures and oversight mechanisms were introduced when I was Minister for Justice and many have been followed up on by the current Minister.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-17