Five times Frances backed Nóirín
OCTOBER 12, 2016: Before the then Garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan appeared before the Oireachtas Justice Committee last year, the Tánaiste defended her on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland. When asked if Ms O’Sullivan should step aside from her role due to the serious allegations being made against her at the time, the Tánaiste said: ‘Why should she when there is no evidence of wrongdoing against her?’
FEBRUARY 9, 2017: During a debate in the Dáil, the Tánaiste said: ‘In the case of the Garda Commissioner, I have consistently stated there has been no finding of any wrongdoing against her. She is entitled to our full support and confidence. That remains the position.’
FEBRUARY 27, 2017: When Josephine Feehily – chairperson of the Policing Authority – raised some concerns about Ms O’Sullivan’s ability to fulfil her role during the Disclosure Tribunal, the Tánaiste came to her defence again.
She said she respected Ms Feehily’s remarks. However, she added: ‘I do have full confidence in the Garda Commissioner to do that job, but I would also want to say that I certainly recognise the important work of the Policing Authority.’
MAY 10, 2017: When it emerged that the then Commissioner, Ms O’Sullivan, didn’t act on legal advice to inform Minister Fitzgerald about financial irregularity queries at the Garda Training College, Ms Fitzgerald said: ‘The Garda Commissioner has to make decisions on a daily basis on a whole range of operational matters and she gets legal advice on many issues.’
MAY 15, 2017: At an Irish Prison Service event earlier this year, the Tánaiste said, in one of her strongest defences of Ms O’Sullivan while she held the role of Commissioner, that she was working with her on ‘endemic issues’ that started when Fianna Fáil was in power. The Tánaiste said: ‘These are endemic issues and the idea of pinning responsibility onto any one person is simply not the way forward.’