Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he has "no problem in apologising" to Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe over the failure to deal quickly enough with the issues raised in the dossier of cases he revealed.
“I’ve already spoken of the importance and the right of people to bring issues to public notice that should be brought to public notice,” Mr Kenny said.
He said the Guerin report had found that Sgt McCabe was “vindicated in the issues he raised”. Mr Kenny told the Dáil the Protective Disclosures Bill, or Whistleblowers Bill as it is known, would be back at committee stage today.
“So in that regard I have no problem in apologising to Sgt McCabe for the issues that he raised and for the fact that his raising these matters wasn’t dealt with more speedily in the first instance.”
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams had asked the Taoiseach to apologise on behalf of the State and the Government to Sgt McCabe for the way he was being treated for doing his duty.
Mr Adams welcomed the Taoiseach’s apology, “although what happened to Sgt McCabe was a lot more than you just acknowledged”.
Respect
Mr Kenny said: "I've already said that those people have issues need to be brought to public that they do a service and we will treat them with the respect that this deserves."
Mr Adams said the Taoiseach had attacked the Opposition for asking legitimate questions. “You and your Government bear responsibility for what has happened. Mr Rabbitte met Mr McCabe two years ago. Sgt McCabe wrote to you some long time ago.”
“Alan Shatter was not on his own.” Mr Adams claimed the Taoiseach “had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to deal with the issue”.
But Mr Kenny rejected the claim and insisted the Government had treated the cases with the gravity and seriousness they deserved. They had acted decisively and clearly to have the commission of investigation established in response to the Guerin report on the file of cases of inadequate Garda investigation.
He said the vast majority of the cases were historic and they had to put a process in place to deal with them.
He said the Government would proceed speedily to address the issues and put a timeline in place so that people could see the progress towards having a justice system, Garda Síochána and Garda ombudsman commission that measured up to today's standards.
Earlier, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said Sgt McCabe had emailed the Taoiseach and his department concerning the dossier on penalty points malpractice but nothing happened for months.
Formal complaint
He said Sgt McCabe had to make a formal complaint to the Department about the lack of response. "Despite the gravity of the complaints that were made, nobody took them seriously at all."
Mr Martin also insisted that former minister for justice Alan Shatter resigned as a response to chapters 19 and 20 of the Guerin report “and the conclusions it arrived at and not just because he wanted to spare any embarrassment to the Government parties in the run-up to the local and European elections”.
