McCabe row: FG vice-chair calls on Garda chief to stand aside

The Fine Gael parliamentary party vice-chairman has called on the Garda Commissioner to stand aside amid the ongoing whistleblower affair.

Pat Deering TD has said Nóirín O’Sullivan should step aside until the Charleton commission report – established to investigate allegations that there was an organised campaign against whistleblowers at the highest levels of the Garda – is completed.

Mr Deering, who represents Carlow-Kilkenny, told The Irish Times the seriousness of the allegations was such that Ms O'Sullivan should not remain as commissioner while they are being investigated. "The whole McCabe controversy is an unholy mess,'' he added.

Ms O’Sullivan has repeatedly said she did not sanction, order or support a smear campaign against Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe.

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Root-and-branch review

Mr Deering said there should be a root-and-branch review of An Garda Síochána, Tusla and the HSE. And it was farcical that a controversy which resulted in the resignations of a minister for justice, Alan Shatter, and a Garda commissioner, Martin Callinan, was still going on.

Many Fine Gael backbenchers are withholding detailed comment until the matter is debated in the Dáil this week and at Wednesday’s scheduled meeting of the parliamentary party.

Louth TD Fergus O'Dowd said he was "concerned'' about what was going on, and would make his views known to colleagues at Wednesday's meeting.

A number of TDs stressed that while mistakes were made at Cabinet level, there was no deliberate attempt to mislead.

“I feel sorry for the many fine gardaí who go about their daily work, and whose morale is suffering because of all of this,’’ said one.

Another TD said Minister for Children Katherine Zappone was in her first Dáil term and may not have had the experience required for Cabinet. "But I think, overall, she is doing a good job and should remain on as Minister.''