9 June 2015

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD has today announced the appointment of retired High Court Judge Roderick Murphy to oversee the preparation of notification letters to complainants in the Independent Review Mechanism.

The Independent Review mechanism was established to provide for the independent review of certain allegations of Garda misconduct, or inadequacies in the investigation of the allegations. A total of 319 complaints were referred to the Panel of Counsel for consideration.

The Minister recently indicated that she intended to appoint a former judicial figure to independently oversee the preparation of responses to complainants to ensure that they objectively set out the recommendations of counsel and to outline insofar as possible the reasons for the recommendation, subject to any legal constraints there may be.

This process is designed to reflect and ensure the continued independence and objectivity which have been the hallmark of this process to date. The Minister is pleased to announce that retired High Court Judge Mr Justice Roderick Murphy has agreed to undertake the task of overseeing the preparation of the notification letters.

The Minister believes that Mr Justice Murphy's involvement in the process will offer additional reassurance to those whose cases were considered by the Panel.

ENDS