Minister for Justice Alan Shatter rounded on Independent TD Clare Daly in the Dáil after she alleged Garda doctoring of evidence in the controversy over penalty point cancellation.

During justice question time Ms Daly had asked about the inquiry into allegations she and three other TDs made that senior gardaí had quashed penalty points for prominent people, colleagues and relatives.

The Dublin North TD asked if the Minister was aware “of the instruction given on foot of the investigation of Assistant Commissioner O’Mahony that officers be removed from detection duties and instead put to work to examine penalty points retrospectively and doctor the evidence as it were”.

Mr Shatter said: “Deputy Daly has named someone in the House and has suggested he is doctoring evidence. I ask the deputy to withdraw that and to have the decency to do so.” He said: “The House should not become a House in which people abuse privilege to make allegations they cannot substantiate.”

Allegations

Mr Shatter said the TDs who made the allegations “talk about respecting civil and human rights but in this House they have respect for no one’s civil or human rights or reputation”. He did not make operational decisions about where gardaí should be based, the work they did or the supervision they should have. But he said various people who were not members of the House had been named in the Dáil “as if the individuals had done some wrong”.

He said Ms Daly seemed to believe any information available on the Garda computer system should be published without consequences. “Issues arise under the Data Protection Act,” he said.