26/03/2014

Alan Shatter Statement On An Garda Síochána

Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence Alan Shatter has released a statement following the revelation that phone calls made to and from Garda stations had been routinely monitored until last November.

In the statement the minister said that the fact such a system had been in place, and for so long" was "clearly a matter of serious concern".

The minister said that the full extent of the system of recordings, such as "exactly when it started, the number of Garda stations involved, the extent to which recordings were retained, and their relevance to any Garda investigations", are still unclear.

"I recognise of course that Deputies will have many very reasonable questions on these and other aspects of this matter, but I am greatly constrained in what I can say. We need to establish the facts before we can draw any firm conclusions, and it would be wrong to engage in speculation in advance of that," the minister said.

Minister Shatters statement can be read in full on the Fine Gael website.

(MH)

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