Political reaction:The findings of the Morris tribunal reports were described as shocking by the Opposition parties, which called for a greater sense of urgency from the Minister for Justice in his response.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said he was "very disturbed" by the latest Morris reports. Speaking in Ballina where he was attending the Humbert School, he said he believed "very strongly" that when the majority of gardaí put on the uniform they want to do the job they are trained to do.
He said the findings of the Morris tribunal to date "have dragged down the morale of gardaí", but that a situation could not be tolerated where some members take the law into their own hands. "That needs to be addressed," he said, adding that he didn't believe this was being done by the Minister for Justice.
Fine Gael justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe said, while he welcomed the Minister's new Garda disciplinary and promotion proposals, they do not go far enough. He called for the creation of an Oireachtas security committee with the power to summon members of the gardaí.
"Unfortunately, Minister McDowell's new promotion and disciplinary proposals are essentially a piecemeal response.
"The proposed changes are relatively minor and, while deserving of support, could go much further. Many of the Minister's proposals have been around for some time. He refers to the Ombudsman Commission, which was appointed last February and which, for some unexplained reason, will not be operational until next year," Mr O'Keeffe said.
The Labour Party spokesman on Justice, Brendan Howlin, said the further damning evidence of the extent of corruption, misconduct and mismanagement in the gardaí in Co Donegal would add to the sense of public unease and increase the case for fundamental reform of the force.
"When the first Morris report was published two years ago we said that it provided a compelling case for fundamental Garda reform, but the pace of reform under this Government has been painfully slow.
"For instance, it is now several years since the plan to appoint a Garda Ombudsman was first announced, but the Ombudsman Commission was only recently established and it is not yet in a position to begin investigations," Mr Howlin said.
The Green Party spokesman on Justice, Ciarán Cuffe, called on the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner to take decisive action in response to the reports.
"Now is the time for firings within the gardaí. It is unacceptable for members of the force who have grossly abused their powers to remain in their jobs. The Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner must be seen to act, and act decisively to expel the rotten apples from An Garda Síochána.
"It is very important to remember that Justice Morris has said that the culture of indiscipline, gross abuses of power and fabrication of evidence within the force is not limited only to Donegal. Justice Morris has stated that there is a serious erosion of discipline and propriety in An Garda Síochána as a whole.
Fine Gael MEP for the northwest, Senator Jim Higgins, called on the Minister and Garda Commissioner to publicly apologise to the McConnell, Peoples and Diver families mentioned in the latest Morris tribunal reports for the wrongs committed against them.
The director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Mark Kelly, said the reports highlighted the need for comprehensive, human rights-based reform of An Garda Síochána. "Disciplinary reforms must go hand-in-hand with action to ensure that An Garda becomes a fully accountable, and human rights- compliant police service."
