Garda recordings inquiry may include prison calls

Terms for an inquiry into secret Garda recordings will be decided by Government tomorrow and could include a probe of illegal recordings made at prisons.

Government sources last night said this addition to the Fennelly Commission had not been ruled out.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said on the weekend that the terms of the Commission of Investigation into the secret taping of calls in and out of Garda stations will be decided by tomorrow. Mr Kenny also said that a new policing authority to oversee the force would also be in place by the end of the year.

A special five-person Cabinet committee of members from both coalition parties which is overseeing the setting up of the authority has yet to have its first meeting.

Health Minister James Reilly told RTÉ yesterday the Government supported the model of oversight of the PSNI in the North.

The new oversight authority would help build morale in the force, said the deputy Fine Gael leader.

An opinion poll on the weekend showed that a majority of respondents do not have faith in Justice Minister Alan Shatter’s ability to resolve problems in the area of justice. Garda whistleblower John Wilson also called on Mr Alan Shatter to resign.

Meanwhile, Waterford TD John Deasy reiterated a claim by the Taoiseach that the current structure of the force and areas of the justice system were “chaotic”.

The Fine Gael backbencher said that there were huge issues around communication in the system and about people not speaking at high levels in the Department of Justice and Garda.