Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has dismissed as "malicious, unfounded, rumour-mongering" suggestions that he might seek the resignation of the Garda Commissioner over the findings of the Morris tribunal.
The Minister was speaking at a press conference yesterday at which he and commissioner Noel Conroy denied any rift over the Donegal Garda revelations.
Mr Conroy added he had no problem with recent amendments to the Garda Síochána Bill, brought before the Dáil this week by Mr McDowell.
The Garda was "not afraid of accountability", the commissioner said. He was speaking at the announcement in Garda Headquarters of a new Government-backed strategy to tackle bank raids in the State. Mr Conroy formally agreed the new protocol with Mr McDowell, and with security and banking industry representatives.
Under a voluntary code of practice, cash-in-transit (CIT) companies are to implement a range of measures by December 31st, 2006, including the installation of impenetrable security boxes, improved satellite tracking systems, and more widespread use of CCTV.
Mr McDowell said the code, which would be monitored by the Garda and the new Private Security Authority of Ireland, would ensure "industry-wide standards" for the first time.
"We won't have a race to the bottom in terms of competition and costs driving standards down. We can't have that," the Minister said.
The State's two largest CIT companies, Securicor and Brinks (Ireland), have signed up to the code, along with the Central Bank and the main commercial banks.
Mr McDowell, who earlier this year warned security firms they could lose their trading licences after a spate of multi-million euro bank raids, said rather than going down the road of penalties and statutory regulation he had opted for a partnership approach that was "more carrot than stick".
Siptu security services branch secretary Kevin McMahon said his union was disappointed it had been excluded from talks on the code but it welcomed "any measure that raises standards of security and safety".
Checks should be put in place to ensure that CIT companies which invested in training and improved security, in line with the code, would not be "undercut, or put out of business, by new competitors in the market", Mr McMahon said.
"Our big concern would be that the banks are contributing to the growth of armed attacks as a result of the predatory competition that has prevailed in the industry."
