A senior male garda in contention for the position of commissioner was one of several gardaí linked to beefing up arms finds and drug-running for criminals, according to Garda whistleblower claims revealed in the Dáil.

It’s a telling sign of the Government’s difficulty in getting to grips with matters that a minor clerical error has placed the Taoiseach at the centre of renewed controversy just a week from polling day.

An inquiry into phone recordings at garda stations was widened to include the entire investigation into the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier following a written request from Ian Bailey to the Taoiseach.

An inquiry into the taping of phone calls at garda stations could hold its hearings behind closed doors, after the Government refused to dictate whether it should be privately or publicly conducted.

THERE was a strange feeling around the Dáil yesterday when, for the first time in what seems like an eternity, proceedings were not dominated by questions surrounding Justice Minister Alan Shatter or other issues relating to the Garda.

By any estimation, a demanding seven months ahead for Mr Justice Nial Fennelly.

LATE on Wednesday evening came the news that Justice Minister Alan Shatter had requested Judge Michael Reilly, Inspector of Prisons, carry out an urgent independent investigation into the announcement that conversations between 139 prisoners and their solicitors had been “inadvertently recorded” on prison phone lines since 2010.

The Special Criminal Court has ruled that the trial of two men for IRA membership can proceed after hearing evidence that there are no recording facilities at Clonmel and Cahir Garda stations where the men were detained after arrest.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has said there is a need to restore public confidence in the law, but he warned against unrelenting criticism of the Garda.

Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes has said the issues surrounding the Garda tapes “go way behind data protection” and relate to citizens receiving a fair trial.

WHILE the implications of the Garda taping crisis continue to unravel, there are growing concerns at the Taoiseach’s role in Martin Callinan’s shock departure and the impact on the relationship between the Government and An Garda Síochána.

The waste of state money involved in the installation of €500,000 worth of recording systems at Garda stations may be investigated by the Dáil’s Public Account’s Committee (PAC).

THE Labour Party was not informed about concerns of phone recording at Garda stations until the Cabinet met on Tuesday morning, according to one of its ministers, Pat Rabbitte.

Trials and convictions of suspected murderers, rapists, terrorists, and other serious criminals are in jeopardy as the fallout from the Garda bugging scandal becomes clearer.

The legal firm that Justice Minister Alan Shatter helped build got fees totalling €422,130 from the HSE last year.

The IMF threatened the independence of the Irish judiciary demanding changes as part of the austerity programme, according to the European Justice Commissioner, Viviane Reding.

A former Garda Ombudsman commissioner has taken issue with comments made by Justice Minister Alan Shatter in which he claimed the watchdog had not felt it “necessary” to take action in relation to complaints made by whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin has said questions need to be answered by the justice minister and the force on whether failures by gardaí led to the murder of a mother of two in Limerick.

Junior health minister Alex White has rowed in behind suggestions the Justice Minister Alan Shatter should “correct” the Dáil record over controversial comments he made about a Garda whistleblower.

More health insurance hikes; Neil Francis to review ballet; Shatter slammed and Coppers: The Musical, in the Lunchtime Report.

Good morning. Here’s a look at the top stories you need to know, in the Irish Examiner’s Morning Report.

The Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, is to be quizzed on his intentions to deal with alleged bugging at the headquarters of the Garda Ombudsman Commission.

The Taoiseach has called on the Garda Ombudsman Commission to "level with" the Justice Minister over their claims their offices were bugged.