Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has apologised to the family of John Carthy, the Co Longford man shot dead by gardaí more than six years ago.
The 27-year-old, who suffered from manic depression, was shot by two members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit (ERU) outside his Abbeylara home on April 20th, 2000, following a 25-hour armed stand-off.
A tribunal of inquiry under the chairmanship of Mr Justice Robert Barr was established to investigate the circumstances of Mr Carthy's death. Its report, published on Thursday, found that Garda negligence and defective management led to his death.
Mr Ahern yesterday extended his sympathies to the Carthy family. "I'd add my words to what the Minister for Justice has said by apologising to the Carthy family."
He thanked Mr Justice Barr for the report and said it would be carefully considered by the Government.
"We all understand the difficult job the gardaí have to do at times but this is a very important report. I want to thank Justice Barr for producing the report and for all the work that went into it.
"We will obviously study that report carefully and, as we would always do, learn lessons from the report. He made many important points about professionals being consulted and we'll have to look at all of these issues and how we can implement them."
In a statement yesterday Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy also offered his sympathies and those of the force to the Carthy family, but stopped short of apologising for the death. He said "the outcome of the siege at Abbeylara, which resulted in the death of John Carthy, is very much regretted. As previously expressed at both the tribunal and the inquest, the sympathies of all members of An Garda Síochána are offered to Mrs Rose Carthy and the extended Carthy family."
Mr Conroy said he noted the report's references to deficiencies in the Garda operations and said he would be examining the report with a view to making any necessary changes. Some of the recommendations in the report had been introduced and the remainder will be considered, the statement said.
The training of on-scene commanders and the development of a panel of negotiators, issues which drew particular criticism in the report, had begun, according to the statement.
A former UK police negotiator said the Garda negotiator at the Abbeylara siege, which ended in the fatal shooting of John Carthy, did a "magnificent job". Retired det chief supt Michael Burdis, who gave evidence as an expert witness to the Barr tribunal, said yesterday that Sgt Michael Jackson had done the best job possible given the position he had been put in.