Kelly asks why Minister Flanagan hasn’t acted on Charleton Liaison Committee Concerns?

29 November 2017

Labour TD for Tipperary, and Vice Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Deputy Alan Kelly has today said:

“I have been asking the former Minister for Justice and the current Minister for Justice numerous questions (25 in total, available below) with regards to An Garda Síochána’s Charleton Liaison Committee since last May. I have never been satisfied with the answers given by the Department of Justice and the relevant Ministers.

“The Charleton Liaison Committee is a unit that works for an Garda Síochána in managing documentation supply and other matters with the Charleton Tribunal. It is funded by the taxpayer. It has had significant resources attached to it; two full time retired senior members of the force and one officer seconded, a solicitor as well as a number of other full time personnel and regional liaison personnel. My questions broadly raise concerns regarding:

1. Why was this unit put in place in the first place?

2. Who signed off on this unit and when, in the Department of Justice and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform?

3. How were the personnel that work in it chosen and employed? What was the criteria?

4. How much is the unit costing? How is it value for money?

5. Is the unit available for and being used by all serving and former personnel in An Garda Síochána who are witnesses at the tribunal?

6. Are all the principal ‘whistleblowers’ who are referenced in the Tribunal’s terms of reference using it?

7. How does the unit manage its relationship with parties/witnesses who are former members of the force as opposed to those who are serving?

8. Is the Minister satisfied that the Unit is seen to be ‘fair’ to all Garda parties at the Tribunal?

9. Has the Minister still full confidence in the operation of this unit?

“Consequently, given my ongoing concerns, I raised the issue in the Public Accounts Committee last week (Thursday 23/11/17) with the acting Garda Commissioner and his colleagues as it is using public funds.

“I was astonished at the manner in which the Commissioner vehemently didn’t want me to ask detailed questions on this unit from a public expenditure point of view.

“It was also very revealing that during the exchanges on this matter that Mr. John Barrett, Head of Human Resources revealed he had written internally in An Garda Síochána on a number of occasions regarding the concerns he had with the Liaison Unit.

“It was also confirmed that the Department of Justice gave ‘oral’ approval for the financing of this unit in February but the Department of Public Expenditure didn’t formally sanction it until May.

“As a result, I have the following additional questions for the Minister:

1. Has the Minister any concerns now regarding the operation of this Liaison Unit; does he believe it should continue to operate and is it providing its function in a fair manner for all?

2. Does he feel he and his Department answered the questions I submitted on May 29th, June 5th, June 7th, Sept 20th, Oct 4th & Nov 6th regarding the operation of this unit comprehensively and appropriately?

3. When was the Minister made aware of the concerns expressed regarding the Liaison Unit at the PAC last week and what did he do about them then? Surely his Department made him aware at the time of the evidence given?

4. Has the Garda Commissioner written to the Minister recently and passed on any concerns regarding the operation of this unit and if so when will he act on such concerns?

ENDS

Notes to Editors – below are the questions Alan Kelly TD has submitted regarding the Charleton Liaison Committee

November 6th 2017

To ask the Minister for Justice when did the Department sign off on the Expenditure of hiring retired assistant commissioner Michael O’Sullivan and retired Chief Superintendent Brendan Mangan to work as part of the Charleton Liaison Committee, how much have both personnel cost to date, were the positions advertised or did they go through any public procurement process and if not why not and was the Human Resources Divison of an Garda Siochana consulted on the hiring of both personnel and will he make a full statement on the matter?

To ask the Minister for Justice were the Policing Authority consulted or even made aware at the time of the hiring of retired assistant commissioner Michael O’Sullivan and retired Chief Superintendent Brendan Mangan to work as part of the Charleton Liaison Committee. If not why were the Policing Authority not made aware or consulted on these appointments and should they not have been under the legislation that set them up and will he make a full statement on the matter?

October 4th 2017

To ask the Minister for Justice if he believes that taxpayers should continue to fund the Charleton Liaison Committee and If he believes that the Liaison Committee is working equally in the best interests of all Gardai involved in the Charleton Enquiry?

September 20th 2017

To ask the Minister for Justice the status of the Charleton Liaison Committee following the recent resignation of the Garda Commissioner?

To ask the Minister for Justice the complete level of resources both human and financial available to the Charleton Liaison Committee and when exactly his Department sanctioned the use of such resources?

June 7th 2017

To ask the Minister for Justice was the Head of Legal Affairs in An Garda Siochana consulted on the hiring of a solicitor by the Garda Commissioner to be part of the Charleton Liaison Committee or was he even aware a solicitor was hired; if he wasn’t why wasn’t he and when was he made aware and if she’ll make a statement on the matter?

June 5th 2017

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, to ask on what date and in what format did the Garda Commissioner consult with the Department of Justice regarding the creation of the Charleton Liaison Committee?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, could she explain what she means by the Commissioner ‘subsequently sought formal sanction to retain the services of a small number of individuals’. How could the Commissioner seek sanction to ‘retain’ people if they hadn’t already been formally sanctioned by the Dept of Justice, Policing Authority and the Department of Public Expenditure?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, could she explain what she means by the Commissioner ‘subsequently sought formal sanction to retain the services of a small number of individuals’. How could the Commissioner seek sanction to ‘retain’ people to work on the Charleton Liaison Committee seeing as this was a new Committee that didn’t actually exist before?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, did the Garda Commissioner employ individuals as part of the Charleton Liaison Committee before getting formal sanction from the Department of Justice, Policing Authority or the Department of Public Expenditure?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, was her Department consulted on the individuals who would be hired by the Garda Commissioner as part of the Charleton Liaison Committee prior to their selection by the Commissioner?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, the names of the individuals that the Garda Commissioner has hired to be part of the Charleton Liaison Committee, their length of their contract and their commencement dates?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, to provide full evidence that all the individuals that have been hired by the Garda Commissioner to form part of the Charleton Liaison Committee were employed following a full public procurement process and will she supply details of same?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, did any of the individuals who are now hired by the Garda Commissioner to form part of the Charleton Liaison Committee commence work prior to the Garda Commissioner getting formal approval for those individuals to commence work from the her Department, the Policing Authority and the Department of Public Expenditure?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, when was approval given by her Department for the Garda Commissioner to engage a solicitor as part of the Charleton Liaison Committee?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, when was she consulted by the Garda Commissioner regarding the hiring of a solicitor as part of the Charleton Liaison Committee?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, why did her Department feel it was necessary for the Garda Commissioner to hire a solicitor to be part of the Charelton Liaison Committee considering the Gardai already have an in house legal team?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, to provide full evidence of the procurement process that took place for the solicitor that was hired as part of the Charleton Liaison Committee by the Garda Commissioner?

To ask the Minister for Justice following on from her answer to Question 62 on June 1st, 2017, to provide the contact details, commencement date and remuneration details of the solicitor that was hired by the Garda Commissioner to be part of the Charleton Liaison Committee?

To ask the Minister for Justice what is the purpose of the Charleton Liaison Committee that is based in the Garda Siochana? Where is the Committee based? How many people work in it? What is the reporting lines of everyone based in the Committee? Whom has access to the work of the Committee and how much is its budget?

To ask the Minister for Justice do all Gardai irrespective of rank or title who are referenced in the Charleton Commission have equal access to the Charleton Liaison Committee, equal use of its resources and equal access to its information and data as it pertains to their individual modules?

To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure to provide full evidence that all the individuals that have been hired by the Garda Commissioner to form part of the Charleton Liaison Committee were sanctioned by his Department and were employed following a full public procurement process and will he supply details of same?

To ask the Minister for Justice if she received Government approval for the setting up of the Charleton Liaison Committee and if so on what date?

May 29th 2017

To ask the Minister for Justice if she or her Department was consulted in any way in relation to the creation of the Charleton Liaison Committee that was set up by the Gardai in relation to the Charleton Enquiry?

To ask the Minister for if she believes that an Gardai Siochana are co-operating fully with the Charleton Enquiry and to ask her what actions she and her Department have taken to ensure such co-operation is happening?

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