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THE LABOUR PARTY has published a policy paper on the new garda authority that is to be established to oversee An Garda Síochána.
The paper was written by TDs Anne Ferris and Sean Kenny and Senator Ivana Bacik.
It was endorsed by Labour members at the parliamentary party meeting last week.
The proposals include giving the new authority the following functions:
Ferris said that these proposals would form the approach of Labour ministers on the new Cabinet subcommittee on justice and policing matters that will consider the establishment of the new authority.
Not trying to take charge
She pointed out that the party has been “to the fore” in calling for new oversight structure for the force since as far back as 2000. Speaking to TheJournal.ie, she said this was not an attempt by Labour to take control of the discussions on the establishment of the new body – rather a gentle reminder that they have been calling for this for 14 years.
“We’re not trying to take charge, we wanted to have input and let people know that this is what our party thinks would be the best formula,” she explained.
“I’m sure the justice people in Fine Gael will be making their own recommendations to the Taoiseach on what should be in it and hopefully the two will be similar.”
The proposals in the policy paper were drawn on the work of the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Scottish Police Authority. It recommends that the 13 members of the authority should be drawn from a cross-section of the community and should have an independent chair and a regular reporting structure between it and a new Oireachtas Policing Committee.
Ferris said she was hopeful that the authority could be established “sooner rather than later”, adding that she thought a year was “quite a long timeline” for the completion of an inquiry into taping at garda stations.
However she said it should not be rushed and it would be best to wait until “the dust settles” on recent events.
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Well Labour, why didn’t you do something about it when you came into government?
Eh that’s what they’re doing now are they not? Also, FG have the Department of Justice, not Labour.
Sorry, but if Labour wanted the Garda Authority 14 years and are in coalition the past 3 years with FG, why are they only doing something about it now? Regardless of who has what department it appears Labour are only trying to make themselves like good with the local elections around the corner. To me Labour promised a lot of things in the run up to the last General Elections and haven’t delivered on much if not anything!
This just proves the desperate idiocy of Labour, to make a fanfare out of a 14 year failure.
FG along with FF and PDs have always opposed a garda authority.
Labour had pushed the garda authority proposal in the 2002 election when we were all happily reelecting Bertie and weren’t interested. Michael McDowell’s 2005 Garda Act would not countenance an independent garda authority.
it took the present crisis to overcome the blockage of the conservative pols and the Justice establishment.
I bet Justice will fight back and still try to scupper any reforms. Having a cabinet committee on Justice reform is probably needed to keep the initiative away from the securocrats, as SF would call them.
And before all this debacle about the Gardaí broke out, how far up YOUR political agenda was a new Garda authority? Or were you like the rest of the country and the media obsessed with the economy? Or perhaps it may have been the legal services reform bill that occupied your attention? No? What about the referenda on parliamentary inquiries, judicial pay, Seanad abolition, or children’s rights? What about the Act to clarify when a woman is legally entitled to an abortion in this country? Or maybe it was the Constitutional Convention that got your attention? The fact of the matter is that neither the public nor the media cared about a Garda authority until this Shatter mess arose and saying that a political party is being disingenuous because they didn’t do anything about it until now is ridiculous, especially seeing as they’ve 2 years left in power. Do you want them do do everything in the first 6 months then do nothing for the remainder of their term in office?? All this “too little too late nonsense” annoys me. That’s called moving the goal posts and it’s a logical fallacy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moving_the_goalposts
Budget for the Garda is way too low and, despite this new authority, will remain too low.
despicable you @ standards are to low and there are way to many brass bullies
Aren’t Labour wonderful!! So how many years are you hanging on FG coat tails,and still nothing,,Wasters the lot!!
Ah Labour full of ideas but once Enda speaks they will tug their forelock and do what they are told and even vote as directed.
It is well past time for Labour and Fine Gael to merge in to the one party.
As is, nothing that Labour say or do can be done without FG Head Office clearing it first.
Labour have their own troika overseeing them.
In fairness FF can merge into them as well the only difference between FF & FG is the fact they are the other side of the same coin.
And FF can merge with the remainder of The Sopranos.
FG and FF have more in common than divides them – they should coalesce instead of FG & Labour.
Labour won’t be around after next election .
I bet they never said a sneaky buffoon like Shatter would be allowed oversee such an authority.
Just wait for it Gardai! Just like teachers you will have to pay for it and receive nothing in return.
And then they closed Garda stations
All over the country and cut the numbers ?
Yes but they the forgot it instantly to get into piwer . Bunch of self serving hypocrites.
It sounds like the structure of a firm I used to work for:
An Employer who told me how much I was going to earn.
Who told me they would pay me and that there were no bonuses.
Various Managers of the firm worked harder or tried to be more innovative so that they would be promoted.
If they didn’t do there job adequately they were held to account.
They made products and sold them accordingly.
They held records of all transactions for reference to Revenue etc.
So, this is actually how it is ‘not’ done in the Gardai……..or any other like Dept in the Public Sector? Wow………well done Labour…….it must have taken ye a whole half minute to come up with that summation of how the other half do it!
I see the reparations for Lab has started in the media et. al………..aaw the poor fellas had to make some unpopular decisions during the past couple of years, and are now scared of a trashing in the elections. The other day we had Cool & Groovy Gilmore…….today its – Lab wanted Gardai Authority 14 years ago.
Sorry guy’s 14 years too late……..is the way I see it.
To be fair Labour have been right on most things. They saved the country from certain economic destruction. They are the ones that have protected the most vulnerable in Ireland by keeping the blue shirts at bay. They will of course not get any credit fit it. I hope when SF get into power that they will not suffer the same fate as Labour. I believe Gerry Adams will make a great deputy prime minister. FF have to be kept out at all costs. They ruined our country and now act like they can fix it.
Cutting travel allowances for those on restricted mobility is not protecting the vulnerable Nicole. Labour have turned their backs on their beliefs and the Irish citizens they claim to represent.
I did say on most things to be fair. Not perfect by any means..
In fairness they have not held the blue shirts at bay, ask a carer who lost their allowance. What they did do is become apologists for the blue shirts and prolonged their reign and allowed the loyal opposition to normalise and reduce the media derision of FF. Total failure for those that voted for them.
Doc, Labour preserved the €20 billion budget on Social Welfare and core welfare rates at a time of deflation and massive financial adjustment. They won’t get any thanks for it but can you imagine what FG would have done if they had their overall majority?
The sooner the Local and European elections come the better so we can ser The LIEbour Party eliminated. If the opinion polls are correct at 8% they should only have a few Cllr’s returned and no MEP’s Happy days they deserve nothing more.
I’m just waiting for one of them to knock my door he or she will get it from me. RANT over!!!
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