Hearings on Guerin Report to get under way

The Secretary General of the Department of Justice Brian Purcell will appear before the Oireachtas Justice Committee this evening.

Mr Purcell will be quizzed on the findings of the Guerin Report, which prompted the resignation of former minister for justice Alan Shatter.

The report looked into the handling of complaints from garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe.

It was also very critical of An Garda Síochána and the Department.

Mr Purcell previously asked not to be questioned about events surrounding the departure of former garda commissioner Martin Callinan.

TDs and Senators will be keen to find out why there was a 16-day gap between Mr Purcell’s office receiving a warning letter from Mr Callinan about the system of recording calls in stations and Mr Shatter receiving the letter.

The interim Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan and former Northern Ireland police ombudsman Baroness Nuala O’Loan will appear before the committee ahead of Mr Purcell.

The will present submissions on the effectiveness of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 in relation to the oversight of An Garda Síochána.

You can watch Mr Purcell's appearance here from 5pm.