GSOC ‘must be made fully independent’

The Garda Ombudsman should be able to conduct investigations into the Garda Commissioner without having to get the permission of the Minister for Justice, according to the State’s human rights watchdog.

Under current proposals by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) will have, for the first time, the power to carry out inquiries into suspected serious offences by the police chief.

But the Garda Síochána Bill 2014 states that this power can only be exercised “subject to the consent of the minister”. In its submission to the Bill, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) said while the minister must give his or her reasons for refusing permission, “no clear rationale” had been advanced as to why the minister had that power in the first place.