Shatter: ‘My officials did not tell me about letter’

The justice minister said it was “unfortunate” that his department officials did not inform him of a letter relating to the recording of phone calls at Garda stations until two weeks after they received it.

Alan Shatter told the Dáil he first became aware of the practice, which is to be the subject of an inquiry, on Monday evening when he returned from a St Patrick’s Day visit to Mexico. However, he confirmed that the attorney general was informed about it on November 11 last, and officials in his department were first informed a month ago, on February 28.

Labour ministers rowed in behind Mr Shatter last night, saying that while it was “surprising” that his officials did not tell him, they accepted his explanation of events.

Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin said Mr Shatter has made it clear to his colleagues “that he received that letter during the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday”.

“That is what the minister has said and I have no reason to doubt his word on it,” he said. “It is surprising that the minister was not alerted to that matter. But there are circumstances in the department, including personal circumstances and bereavements and so on, which will come out in due course.”

In his Dáil statement on the issue, Mr Shatter said the letter was sent to his department by now-retired Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan on March 10.

The following day there was a meeting between Mr Callinan and representatives from the Department of Justice on the issue, he said.

“Unfortunately, this letter was not furnished to me by my officials until approximately 12.40pm yesterday [Tuesday] and I did not have an opportunity to read and consider it until some time later,” he said. “As members of the House may be aware, I flew to Mexico to undertake my duties in respect of Government Ministers’ St Patrick’s Day arrangements on March 15 and did not return until March 21. I was not briefed on this matter until approximately 6pm on Monday, March 24, 2014, in the Department of Justice,” he said.

The minister also said he was not “furnished” with a report by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman’s Commission (GSOC) last June, which described the practice in the context of a case in Waterford.

He pointed out that the report was never raised by the opposition in the Dáil and “it does not appear as if any member of the media regarded the report as of any major importance”.

He said this was understandable “as the report gives no insight into the extent of recordings made by An Garda Síochána, nor did GSOC determine it an issue worthy of further investigation”.

Mr Shatter insisted he has been “unflinching” in his “determination to face up to past difficulties” relating to policing and the gardaí.

He said “no reasonable person” could claim “with any credibility” that there was “inaction” on his part in relation to claims that phones in and out of Garda stations were being recorded and retained.

The minister has asked acting-Garda Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan for a report on the latest available information on the phone recording issue, “so that the Government can take an informed decision on the terms of reference of the commission of investigation”.