THE GOVERNMENT has nominated two new members to the Garda Ombudsman Commission on the recommendation of the Minister for Justice.
The new members are Simon O’Brien, deputy chief inspector of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, who will serve as chairman of the commission, and Kieran Fitzgerald, who is currently its head of communications and research.
Carmel Foley will be reappointed for a second term.
The members must be formally approved by the Oireachtas before being formally appointed by the President.
The two new members replace Conor Brady, a former editor of The Irish Times, who has served a full term on the commission, starting in December 2005, and Dermot Gallagher, former secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Mr Gallagher was appointed chairman in February 2009 to replace Mr Justice Kevin Haugh, who died suddenly.
Minister for Justice Alan Shatter made the appointments after seeking expressions of interest from members of the public through the websites of the Public Appointments Service and the Department of Justice.
Before his appointment to the Garda Inspectorate, Mr O’Brien was territorial policing commander at the Metropolitan Police Service in London. He holds master’s degrees in business administration and in criminology and police management.
Ms Foley is a civil servant who was director of consumer affairs before her appointment to the commission. Previously she was chief executive of the Employment Equality Agency and the Council for the Status of Women. She holds an MSc in management.
Mr Fitzgerald is a former journalist with RTÉ. He worked for a year with the National Union of Journalists.
He has been head of communications and research with the Garda ombudsman’s office since 2005. He studied law at Trinity College Dublin and holds a master’s degree in economics. He is completing a doctorate in governance.