‘I’VE RESPECT FOR THE PAC’
GARDA Commissioner Martin Callinan insisted yesterday he had the ‘height of respect’ for the Public Accounts Committee.
It comes as Independent TD Shane Ross, who is a member of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, described Commissioner Callinan’s attitude before the committee on Thursday as ‘ a l most disdainful’.
Mr Ross said he thought it was ‘extraordinary’ Commissioner Callinan said the committee was not the platform through which whistleblowers should give information.
Mr Ross, speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, said: ‘He was almost disdainful of the Public Accounts Committee, which is after all a democratic forum.
‘He then went on to say that they [whistleblowers] should be dealt with by me, myself - meaning that he was important enough to do it, but not us.’
Commissioner Callinan yesterday said he intended to be transparent before the PAC but had his ‘own backyard to watch’. He said: ‘I have the height of respect for the Public Accounts Committee, I said that yesterday on a number of occasions... They do extremely important work for the citizens of this country and I certainly don’t want to do anything to hamper that situation, but I have my own backyard to watch.
‘I intend to be as transparent as I have to be in terms of appearing before these people and providing the type of information that they require. I have no difficulty at all in providing that type of information.’
When Commissioner Callinan was asked to explain his reason for trying to stop Maurice McCabe from coming before PAC he replied: ‘I am not going to discuss that matter at this time.’