The Government's controversial Garda Bill has been passed by 58 votes to 41 in the Dáil this evening.
Some 100 amendments to the Bill had been tabled by the Minister for Justice following the recommendations of the recent interim report of the Morris tribunal. The list of amendments caused uproar in the Dáil yesterday and the Labour Party leader, Pat Rabbitte, said it conferred upon ministers for justice "the most sweeping and illiberal powers".
The Minister for Justice rejected the charge.
He said the powers conferred in the Bill are necessary because the Garda refused to give the Government sight of an internal investigation into corruption among some gardai in Co Donegal in 2000 and 2001.
Mr McDowell said the Morris tribunal could have been set up earlier if the Government had seen the Garda internal inquiry by Assistant Garda Commissioner Kevin Carty into the McBrearty investigation.
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) walked out of a meeting with Department of Justice officials earlier this week when they were told of some of the Minister's late amendments to the Garda Bill. Under the amended Bill, the Garda Commissioner, with the consent of the Government, can summarily dismiss gardaí up to the rank of inspector if their continued presence damages public confidence.
The amended bill must now be cleared by the Seanad.