Disciplinary action to be taken against Justice officials

DISCIPLINARY procedures are to be initiated against Department of Justice officials referred to in the Cromien report, the Dail was told.

The Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, said that this would be done in accordance with the Civil Service disciplinary code. Mrs Owen also announced a range of measures to implement the report's findings and recommendations.

The best management, organisational and information technology expertise in the Department of Finance, supported by external expert consultants, would be made available to the Department to modernise procedures, she said. An official would be appointed at deputy secretary level to facilitate senior people participating in the planning process.

The consultants, said Mrs Owen, would carry out a critical analysis of the Department's functions, recommending medium term and longer term solutions to the problems identified by the report. And the terms of reference would include examination, as a matter of priority, of the need for a dedicated EU division. They would be asked to produce an interim report by February 1st next year.

She said that their work would be overseen by a small steering group, with secretarial back up, consisting of a private sector member of the SMI co ordinating committee, the secretary of the Department of Justice and the official at deputy secretary level who was to be assigned to the Department.

Declaring that the Government and herself looked on the matter with the utmost gravity, Mrs Owen said that a variety of measures had either been, or were being, taken. These were

. The assistant secretary who headed up the courts division before Ireland's EU Presidency is to be recalled from his duties in Brussels, where he has been spearheading the Justice and Home Affairs Council.

. All Government decisions affecting the judiciary, whether new appointments, delisting or whatever, will be referred to the assist ant secretary in the courts division. It will be his or her personal responsibility to ensure that those concerned implement the decision and that the Minister and Secretary of the Department are immediately provided with written confirmation that the action has been taken and that all necessary follow up procedures have been implemented.

. Arrangements have been put in place which will require all assistant secretaries to ensure that all Government decisions affecting their areas of responsibility are implemented and to obtain reports at least once a week on action taken. Assistant secretaries will, in turn, report to the secretary on a weekly basis, or, immediately, in the event that difficulties are identified relating to the implementation of any decision or decisions.

. The rostering arrangements for annual leave are being urgently reviewed. Detailed instructions are being drawn up to ensure that there is a specific and detailed assignment in writing of current work from an officer, who is taking authorised annual leave, to another named officer.

. All future correspondence to the Minister from members of the Government, the Attorney General, the DPP, members of the judiciary and other major public office holders, whatever their import, will be shown to the Minister and copied for the Secretary of the Department immediately. The computerised correspondence tracking system will be in place next week. And the procedures followed in the Minister's office - which are exactly the same as in the case of her predecessors - for dealing with Government decisions are being strengthened and improved.

Mrs Owen said the Cromien Report had confirmed the account she gave to the House before the inquiry started. Referring to the "speculation, rumour, innuendo and allegations" circulating since she spoke on November 7th, the Minister said that the report had given the lie to allegations of cover up and, among other things, laid to rest the suggestion that a senior counsel had "threatened to go public" if the situation was not resolved.

She stressed that the report would be acted upon, adding that work had already begun on its implementation. "I can assure the House - on my own behalf and on behalf of the Government - that the most comprehensive and far reaching actions are being taken, and will continue to be taken, to address the fundamental changes required to totally transform the way in which the Department of Justice operates and thereby deliver a better, more effective criminal justice system to the people of this country."

Mrs Owen said that the report had highlighted major pressures facing the Department of Justice in recent years. These included a general increase in crime and lawlessness, enormous growth, in a short period, in EU work and demands on senior staff on the Northern peace process and related activity.