Politics

Shatter had ‘tendency to minimise and dismiss’, says Wallace

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said the resignation was, “in the circumstances, inevitable”

Mick Wallace: who repeatedly clashed with Mr Shatter, said the resignation did not make him feel vindicated in highlighting shortcomings in the Garda and supporting whistleblowers within the force. Photograph: David Sleator
Mick Wallace: who repeatedly clashed with Mr Shatter, said the resignation did not make him feel vindicated in highlighting shortcomings in the Garda and supporting whistleblowers within the force. Photograph: David Sleator
Fiach Kelly
Thu May 08 2014 - 01:00

Former Minister for Justice Alan Shatter failed to “bring accountancy and transparency” to An Garda Síochána and had a “tendency to minimise and dismiss”, Independent TD Mick Wallace said last night.

However, Mr Wallace, who repeatedly clashed with Mr Shatter, said the resignation did not make him feel vindicated in highlighting shortcomings in the Garda and supporting whistleblowers within the force.

“It’s not a case of me feeling vindicated,” Mr Wallace told RTÉ News. “It was never personal for me.”

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said the resignation was, “in the circumstances, inevitable”, but paid tribute to the outgoing Minister.

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In a statement, he expressed his appreciation to Mr Shatter for his “outstanding record of accomplishment”, and called him “a talented legal thinker who worked incredibly hard on his reform agenda”.


Many accomplishments
Mr Gilmore continued: "He has had many accomplishments during his time in office, including reform of the legal profession, modernisation of the courts, landmark personal insolvency legislation, and modernisation and reform of the prison service."

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said: “I welcome this long-overdue announcement. Alan Shatter’s breach of data protection rules had made his position untenable, and the subsequent controversies in the Garda and Department of Justice meant his position was further undermined.”

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties said it regretted the resignation of Mr Shatter.

“However critical and controversial the findings of the Guerin review may be, the ICCL very much regrets that it has become necessary for a minister as distinguished as Alan Shatter to resign in these circumstances,” the organisation’s director, Mark Kelly, said in a statement.

“He brought to his position a genuine and deeply knowledgeable understanding of the legal reforms needed to render Ireland a more equal society and was wholeheartedly committed to seeing the necessary legislation adopted.”

The organisation reiterated its calls for “a full and comprehensive inquiry” to be initiated under the terms of the Commissions of Investigation Act into Garda-related controversies .