Justice, 2015

The year 2015 saw the Department of Justice and Equality continue to deal with the fallout from the events of 2014, a year in which Alan Shatter’s resignation as minister was accompanied by the reassignment of Brian Purcell from the post of secretary general 1 and the retirement of Martin Callinan as garda commissioner. The shifts of 2014 followed allegations of improper practice regarding penalty points, the recording of phone calls to Garda stations and serious criticisms of how the department responded to these issues. In 2015 the repercussions of these events were still being felt as the department pledged to enhance accountability and restore public confidence. In this vein, the year brought further challenges for An Garda Síochána in the form of the highly critical Garda Inspectorate report, which recommended far-reaching reforms for the organisation.