Justice Minister Shatter – Sinn Féin calls for Dáil time on Tuesday for questioning

» Mark Moloney

Shatter has crossed the line by accessing sensitive information about citizens to use for political purposes

FINE GAEL Justice Minister Alan Shatter is under pressure from Sinn Féin to answer questions in the Dáil on Tuesday about his use of confidential Garda information about Mick Wallace TD during his RTÉ TV Prime Time head-to-head debate with the Wexford deputy.

Sinn Féin Justice spokesperson Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD – who is appearing on TV3's Tonight with Vincent Browne on Monday – is calling for time to be made available in the Dáil on Tuesday for Justice Minister Shatter to face TDs.

Deputy Mac Lochlainn said Shatter had crossed the line by accessing sensitive information about citizens to use for political purposes.

On Thursday night's Prime Time programme about gardaí wiping motorists' penalty points, Minister Shatter said that Independent TD Mick Wallace had himself been stopped by gardaí while talking on his mobile phone but that the garda had used his discretion and let the TD away with a warning.

The Wexford TD has said he intends to report Shatter to the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) for bringing the information into the public domain.

The Data Protection Commissioner has also indicated his willingness to investigate the incident if Wallace brings forward a formal complaint.

Deputy Mac Lochlainn said:

“Alan Shatter needs to make a full public apology for using personal information, obtained as Minister for Justice, on live television in an effort to damage a political opponent.”