Garda controversy: O’Sullivan needs support for reforms, says Coveney

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan needs support to reform An Garda Síochána so mistakes that happened in the past cannot happen again, Minister for Housing Simon Coveney has said.

It was reported on Monday that Fine Gael has asked Fianna Fáil to help put off a Sinn Féin motion against Ms O'Sullivan, in order to help secure her position amid a crisis of confidence in the force.

Ms O’Sullivan faced questioning before the Oireachtas Committee on Justice last week following revelations that gardaí recorded almost a million roadside alcohol breath tests on the Garda crime database Pulse that did not take place.

Asked about the reports in the Irish Examiner, Mr Coveney said: "I don't know about that to be honest but I mean it's not unusual that Fine Gael would speak to Fianna Fáil in advance of debates on certain issues. That is effectively part of our confidence-and-supply agreement."

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Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Coveney said: "I think that both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil want the same thing here. We want a reformed, better Garda Síochána so that the kind of mistakes that people find, quite frankly, extraordinary, that could have happened in the past can't happen in the future."

Independent oversight

The Minister said: “As I say, I think we should support the Garda Commissioner in bringing about those reforms but there needs to be independent oversight to make sure that it’s happening.”

Asked if he was concerned there was more to come in the Garda scandal, he added: “I think everybody has to be concerned that there’s more to come and even the Garda Commissioner herself when she was before the Oireachtas committee last week said that she can’t be sure that there aren’t further issues to deal with.

“I think the Garda Commissioner now needs support and help in bringing about the reforms that are necessary, in a comprehensive way within An Garda Síochána, so that the faith that the public have in gardai can be restored.”

“And I think that’s what everybody wants to achieve.”

On when he expected Fine Gael's leadership campaign to begin, he said he trusted Taoiseach Enda Kenny to "use his judgment".

“We need to find a time that can allow for an orderly transition in terms of the leadership change in Fine Gael but more importantly for the country we need to make sure that the Government functions through that period,” he said.

“I’m very comfortable trusting Enda Kenny to use his judgment on that. I suspect it will happen before the summer, but as I say, the Taoiseach is the person in charge of Fine Gael and of (the) Government and I’m comfortable that he’ll use his judgment to get the timing right on that because we need to make sure that we have stable, strong government through this period as well as a change of leadership in Fine Gael.”

“That’s something that the Taoiseach needs to manage and I’m sure he will.”