On Wednesday the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald came to the Seanad to answer questions on the ongoing Garda scandal. I highlighted that "along with the over reporting of road incidents, I would also be very concerned about under reporting of Racist incidents and Domestic Violence. There have been very serious concerns raised about underreporting in these areas".
Sure enough, it has emerged today that there has indeed been large scale under reporting of Domestic Violence.
I also asked the Minister if she would issue a directive under section 25 of the Garda Siochana Act to formally demand 'preservation of all papers and equipment" that might be relevant to an investigation. Shockingly, she previously declined to issue such a directive in relation to the McCabe investigation.
Yesterday, Senator Alice-Mary Higgins joined other Oireachtas members to announce Oireachtas plans to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of Irish women being granted the right to vote and run in parliamentary elections.
Following last weeks’ Seanad motion against ‘provisional application’ of the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada, proposed by Senator Alice-Mary Higgins and passed in a rare Government defeat, pressure has continues to build on the Irish government and across Europe.