THE Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, is expected to discuss with the Minister for Justice highly critical comments by the leadership of the Garda Representative Association of her handling of the Judge Dominic Lynch delisting affair.
Up to late last night there was no statement from the Commissioner, although it would normally be expected that he would dissociate himself publicly from such remarks.
Taken aback by the force of an editorial attack in the Garda Review and farther scathing comments on RTE yesterday from the GRA general secretary, Mr John Ferry Government sources last night said: "It has all to do with the internal dispute within the association". The Garda Review statement was "unfair" and amounted to political comment.
In spite of its trenchant denunciation of Mrs Owen in the delisting debacle, Fianna Fail indicated unease at the association's intervention. A spokesman said: "As a general rule, we don't agree with civil servants, officials or officers of the State getting involved in the political domain."
Mrs Owen initially refused to comment on the GRA aspersions, including allegations that she displayed "extraordinary arrogance and a total lack of any sense of accountability".
But speaking on RTE television's Questions and Answers programme last night she said the criticism was personally motivated. Mr Ferry was leader of an association which she was frying to "correct", because of the continuing row between the GRA and the newly formed Garda Federation, she said.
"I think his personal attacks on me have another agenda there," she continued. "He does not like the fact that I am attacking this problem and that I have to make changes."
However, the Fine Gael parliamentary party chairman, Mr Phil Hogan TD, said he was "shocked by the partisan and cynical attack" by Mr Ferry. Mr Ferry's comments were "despicable and contemptible".