Gilmore ‘satisfied’ no State agency bugged Garda ombudsman

Tánaiste

Eamon Gilmore

has said he was satisfied

no State agency was involved in the suspected bugging of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission offices.

He also told the Dáil that Minister for Justice Alan Shatter would attend a hearing of the Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions on the issue.

Amid heated exchanges, Mr Gilmore was asked by Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald if any State agency had been authorised to bug the offices.

“Am I satisfied that no organ of the State put the Garda ombudsman commission under surveillance,’’ replied Mr Gilmore. “Yes, I am.’’

He said he understood the Oireachtas committee was inviting the Minister for Justice to attend there, “and he will, of course, be very happy to do so”.

Co-ordinated strategy
Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Niall Collins accused the Government of engaging in a co-ordinated strategy that had served to undermine the ombudsman since last Sunday. The Taoiseach, he said, had repeatedly misquoted section 80 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and misinformed members of the public about it.

“All of this had the effective of placing significant public pressure on the GSOC, which was then publicly forced into a position in which it had to express regret to the Minister and publicly on national television,’’ he added.

Mr Collins said Mr Shatter had given incomplete information to the Dáil on Tuesday and there was now a significant divergence of opinion between GSOC and himself.

Mr Gilmore said he rejected absolutely the assertion there was some kind of co-ordinated strategy by the Government to undermine GSOC. “The Government entirely respects and values the independence of the commission,’’ he added. He said its independence needed to be underpinned and affirmed in the current public controversy.

Mr Gilmore said the commission accepted that it should have reported the matter to Mr Shatter.

Credible threat
Ms McDonald said the Taoiseach and Minister for Justice had come into the Dáil and made statements on the record that had been flatly contradicted by GSOC chairman Simon O'Brien. "It is clear that the Government tried to shut down the demand for transparency surrounding the bugging scandal at GSOC,'' she added. She said the ombudsman believed, and had evidence to support it, that there was a credible threat to GSOC's security.

Security sweep
"We now know that the security sweep of the GSOC office was sparked by heightened concerns of breaches of confidentiality last May," she added.

Mr Gilmore said the Oireachtas committee was dealing with the issue and would ask questions of the Minister for Justice.

“I believe that is the right course of action to take because the critical issue is that the independence of the commission is maintained and upheld and that there is public confidence in the Garda,’’ he added.