No, that is not what I am suggesting.

I will.

The Meath ladies have.

What we are trying to legislate for here are potential unforeseen circumstances. We are trying not to be prescriptive in what the Commissioner may or may not deem as being necessary or relevant, and in what the Commissioner might feel is important to relate to the Minister of the day. This is the case with a lot of legislation, where we try not to be prescriptive because we do not know the scenarios or situations that may arise which are not covered. As Minister I do not want a situation to arise, particularly an e…

I wholeheartedly reject any assertions or suggestions Deputy McNamara has made about this matter. I have clearly outlined why I will not be accepting the amendment. It is important that we do not tie the hands of the Commissioner if he or she feels it is important to bring forward information that is relevant to the Minister.

I thank the Deputy and it is good that he obviously agrees with the overall ambition that An Garda Síochána should be treated as a single organisation and as a single workforce. There has been engagement. On 18 May, the then Minister met with Fórsa, on 29 May, the deputy secretary of my Department met with the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants, and I intend to meet Fórsa and continue that engagement over the summer and into the new term. I will clarify, not just for the Deputy but for members of civil…

I suppose that is for another discussion.

My understanding of the amendment is that it would remove an obligation placed on the authority to consult the Commissioner specifically and the national office for community safety before determining policing priorities. This consultation is an essential requirement. Even if it were not set out in law, it would happen. Not stating expressly that there must be consultation with the Commissioner would go against the spirit of this legislation. If it is the Deputy's intention to expand the existing provision, perhaps…

Given that my initial point has been clarified, my understanding of this amendment is that it would remove the need for the authority to consult the Garda Commissioner and the national office. Section 61(2) requires the authority to consult the Garda Commissioner, the national office and such other persons as the authority considers appropriate. I am not sure why we would remove the need to consult the Garda Commissioner. It is an absolute must and goes to the very heart of what we are discussing. It is an essentia…

One of the fundamental changes in this Bill is to separate the oversight and governance of the organisation. At present, the Policing Authority is responsible for oversight but, as we know, it is also involved in governance. In appointing people to senior ranks, the intention is not to have a crossover whereby they would be responsible for oversight while also involved in governance. That is why we will have a new internal board, the role of which will be governance. The role of the Policing Authority, in its merge…

I move amendment No. 23: In page 75, to delete lines 32 to 34.

I move amendment No. 24: In page 88, line 33, to delete "for malicious injuries received" and substitute "for injuries inflicted as a result of a malicious incident within the meaning of that Act". Amendment No. 24 relates to section 95 of the Bill, which provides for the secondment of members of An Garda Síochána to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. It restates, in large part, section 54 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005. This provision is to account for recent amendments made to section 54 of the 2005 Act by t…

I move amendment No. 26: In page 93, line 37, to delete "for Community Safety".

I move amendment No. 27: In page 97, lines 11 and 12, to delete "or, in the English language, the National Community Safety Steering Group".

I move amendment No. 28: In page 99, line 15, to delete "for Community Safety".

I move amendment No. 29: In page 99, lines 16 and 17, to delete "for Community Safety".

I move amendment No. 30: In page 99, lines 18 and 19, to delete "or, in the English language, the National Office for Community Safety".

I move amendment No. 31: In page 100, lines 8 and 9, to delete "for Community Safety".

I move amendment No. 32: In page 100, lines 10 and 11, to delete "for Community Safety".

I move amendment No. 33: In page 108, lines 10 and 11, to delete "or, in the English language, the Policing and Community Safety Authority".