Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan and her senior management should "look into" the evidence given by members of the force in the Jobstown trial.
Last week, six men on trial for the false imprisonment of former tánaiste Joan Burton and her advisor were found not guilty by a jury at the Circuit Criminal Court.
After an eight-week trial the 11-member jury returned unanimous verdicts having deliberated for more than three hours.
There have been repeated calls by left wing TDs, including Solidarity TD Paul Murphy, who was one of the men on trial, for a public inquiry into how the garda investigation was conducted.
In a statement, gardaí say that a review into "the policing response and the subsequent investigation into the incident" at Jobstown in November 2014 began last Friday. It is being carried out by Assistant Commissioner Barry O'Brien.
Gardai have said that the review will be from a "lessons-learnt perspective", and that the following areas will be examined: "Key learning points; Identification of organisational practices/policies which require improvement; Training; Any other issues of note."
In an interview with RTÉ’s Prime Time, Mr Varadkar said people needed to be able to trust that when gardaí stand up in court and say something happened, that it did happen, and it should not conflict with video evidence for instance.
He said if it did, then "that is a problem".
Mr Varadkar said he understood that in a situation where there were lots of things happening quickly and people get caught up in the heat of the moment, that they might have a recollection that is not exactly as things happened, but he would be very concerned if it was the case that gardaí gave evidence in court that was not in line with the facts.
Mr Varadkar said he did not think a public inquiry was required, but there should be consideration given to why the prosecution was unsuccessful in cases like this and the trial of Séan Fitzpatrick.
Mr Murphy has described the Taoiseach's comments as "significant".
He said they had been met by a wall of opposition from the Government regarding their calls to look at the evidence.
He told RTÉ News that Mr Varadkar’s comments represented the first crack in the wall, and he also questioned whether gardaí should be investigating gardaí.
Taoiseach: Evidence by gardaí in Jobstown trial should be looked into https://t.co/LDHqJ7M8v3 pic.twitter.com/VzC0b53HmH
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 6, 2017
Taoiseach was 'surprised' by recommendation of Citizens' Assembly
Mr Varadkar acknowledged that he was surprised by the recommendation of the Citizens' Assembly that abortion should be made available without restriction in Ireland, as opinion polls shows this position was not shared by the majority of the public.
However, he said the assembly had come to their decision after hearing expert opinion and personal stories, and it was possible that the Oireachtas Committee, and the Irish people in a referendum, might come to the same conclusion.
He said he believed the abortion laws are currently too restrictive, but would not disclose his view on what should replace them, as he did not want to be seen to influence the work of the Oireachtas Committee.
He said he would make his view clear once the question to be put to the people was decided.
Mr Varadkar said he wanted to prove to people that he deserved the high office of Taoiseach, and said that the Government would reduce tax on incomes, while at the same time investing in infrastructure and bringing in a balanced budget next year.
He acknowledged that the money available was limited, and that the tax cuts and spending increases would not be "dramatic", but would represent steady, incremental progress.
He said he was a realist when it comes to politics, and as a minority government, compromises would have to be reached with Fianna Fáil, and perhaps other parties, in order to get legislation passed.
Mr Varadkar said as long as the Government's programme was being implemented, he was happy to continue the arrangement.
"I am committed to the arrangement we have, I am not planning to pull the plug," he said. However, they had to be prepared for the possibility of the arrangement coming to an end, and would be ready for it.
Responding to criticism of the number of women he had appointed, he said ten of the 12 women TDs supporting the Government were ministers or committee chairs, and he could only appoint more women if more women were elected.
Asked if media attention paid to his choice of socks during Canadian Prime Minister’s Justin Trudeau's visit, or his mention of the movie ‘Love Actually’ while visiting Downing Street had overshadowed policy discussions, Mr Varadkar said he did not believe so, as all the meetings he had with other leaders were very serious.
He said every politician and every Taoiseach was different, they all had their own quirks, and becoming a politician did not mean you could not be a human being.
