Independents4Change TD Clare Daly has criticised the inquiry being carried out by retired judge Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill into allegations that senior gardaí orchestrated a campaign to discredit garda whistleblowers who had made protected disclosures.
Justice O’Neill is due to conclude and report back next week, but Ms Daly was critical that he was given no powers of compellability.
She told the Dáil that one could be forgiven for thinking that the inquiry was put together "as a fig leaf" for the Tánaiste.
The former judge has not requested any material from the whistleblowers, has not met them or had any contact with them, she said.
"The only interaction was a request to their legal teams to pass on the protected disclosure. You couldn't make this up." Ms Daly proceeded to attack Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan and accuse her of misleading the Oireachtas Justice Committee where she stated that she was not privy to information about a campaign of harassment against any member of the force, when she was "actually in direct receipt of 14 occurrences and letters outlining precisely that situation".
Responding, Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said: "I would have thought that the Court of Appeal ruling today [on Alan Shatter’s successful challenge to the Guerin Report findings] would have been an intense reminder to this house that we should take stock before making allegations here.
"The good name and reputation of all individuals deserves fair procedures."
She said that Justice O'Neill's report will be considered when she receives it.
She said that how the judge conducts his business during these six weeks is a matter for him.
Ms Fitzgerald also said she would like to see the report before making any comments on it.
The Ceann Comhairle warned Ms Daly about making allegations about people outside the house, and it was inappropriate for Ms Daly to say that the commissioner misled an Oireachtas committee.
Ms Daly said she stands over her comments.
The Tánaiste said that she wants to ensure that whistleblowers have confidence in coming forward and they are dealt with appropriately and properly.
She said that an independent Garda Authority has been set up and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission has been set up to investigate complaints and she will not cut across them.
