Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald will today begin the process of establishing yet another commission of investigation into Garda matters.
This time it will be into the alleged smearing of a Garda whistleblower by senior members of An Garda Síochána.
The senior members of the force include sitting Commissioner Noirín O'Sullivan and her predecessor, Martin Callinan – whose abrupt departure from the job was the focus of a previous similar inquiry.
The claims come from Sergeant Maurice McCabe and former head of the Garda press office David Taylor.
Both have paid a heavy price for making the allegations. Taylor remains suspended from office, while McCabe has been the victim of intimidation in his workplace.
Ms O'Sullivan will be allowed the privilege of staying in office when the inquiry is under way.
This is the third commission launched into internal matters in An Garda Síochána.
The first, the Fennelly Commission, was into the recording of telephone calls in and out of Garda stations and the retirement of Mr Callinan as commissioner.
The second was the O’Higgins Commission, which examined claims of Garda malpractice in the Cavan/Monaghan district.
All three issues are worthy of inquiry and investigation. But it does raise a wider question: Why are internal Garda affairs becoming the business of Government?
Why are there not proper avenues for gardaí to take when they want to raise concerns? Why must they always end up in the hands of members of the judiciary and Ministers to resolve?
There was a confidential recipient available to gardaí. The recipient’s job was to hear concerns and respond to them. It proved ineffective.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission was given more powers in response. However, it is hamstrung by the fact gardaí retain the power to withhold documents about certain cases.
The Policing Authority has since been established, but it is too early to make judgments on its success or otherwise.
But there must be questions on why individual gardaí continually have to rely on the Oireachtas, or on their ability to make protected disclosures to TDs, to resolve what should be internal disputes.
Mechanisms need to be developed whereby gardaí feel they can air grievances, and be properly listened to, without the head of a commissioner being on the line.
A functioning, transparent and accountable internal system would be far more preferable to spending another few million euro on yet another external inquiry.
