Kenny has ‘100%’ support for O’Sullivan on whistleblower row

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he has “100 per cent support” for Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan amid intensifying pressure on her over the Garda whistleblower row.

Mounting questions have arisen over the Garda chief’s legal team’s intentions to question the motivation of Sgt Maurice McCabe during hearings of the O’Higgins Commission.

Speaking on a visit to Washington, Mr Kenny said he believed if the opportunity presented itself, Ms O'Sullivan would "put into the public domain what she is legally entitled to put into the public domain" concerning her evidence to the commission.

“You can’t take just selective hearings or sections of hearings and use them as the report itself - the report stands,” the Taoiseach said.

He defended as “first class” the judge’s investigative report into the whistleblower’s allegations of suspected criminal offences within the force.

‘Criminal offence’

Mr Kenny pointed out it was “a criminal offence” to produce any documents or details of discussions held in private at a commission of investigation.

He stressed he was not privy to any discussions around Ms O’Sullivan’s legal advice that took place during the commission’s private hearings.

“I have 100 per cent support for the Commissioner of the gardaí,” he said.

The Taoiseach played down the prospect of the minority Fine Gael Government suffering its first legislative defeat on a Fianna Fáil Bill that would give the Central Bank powers to reduce mortgage rates, despite Minister for Finance Michael Noonan saying the Bill contained serious flaws.

“Minority governments cannot act in a majority way and on occasions there will be defeats for the Government,” he said.

He noted the Central Bank has said it does not want this power and that if Fine Gael’s amendment to Fianna Fáil’s Bill is defeated, the proposed legislation will then be debated at committee stage.

“Everybody will be able to have their opportunity to tease out what it is that they want to say about it and about the implications of what the Bill might mean at the committee stage,” he said.

Mr Kenny declined to say whether he believed the Bill might potentially be illegal.

“It does deal with property rights and obviously constitutional law is a matter to be teased out for a later time,” he said.

A more competitive banking industry was one way of reducing rates, he said.

Asked whether his plans to serve a full term as Taoiseach and not to lead Fine Gael into the next election had the full support of his party, Mr Kenny said: “Ours, as they say, is a broad party. I have very strong support in the party.”

His focus was on the job of leading government, he said.

“I am not interested in sideline issues that deal with me personally or anything like that,” he said.