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GSOC Chair Determined to Stay On

The chairman of the Garda Ombudsman Commission has defended the decision to investigate suspected bugging at the authorities' offices.

The fallout from the Cooke report into that process is continuing today with Fianna Fáil calling on Judge Cooke to address the Oireachtas Justice Committee.

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Simon O'Brien says he has no intention of stepping down from his position as chairman of GSOC.

He's defended the decision to investigate several 'anomalies' in the IT and security system's at body's offices.

That's despite the finding of the Cooke report, which says GSOC's investigation into the security issues was unnecessary.

Mr O'Brien says GSOC had never blamed Gardai for any alleged surveillance, but that some "question marks still remain" about the security issues which led to the suspicions of bugging.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail's calling for the author of the Cooke report to appear before the all-party Justice Committee.

Retired High Court Judge John Cooke found no evidence of surveillance at the offices of the Garda Ombudsman Commission, but he pointed out that it's extremely difficult to say whether certain 'anomalies' were down to outside interference or not.

Fianna Fail's Justice spokesman Niall Collins says there are some aspects of the report which are inconclusive.

The Garda Representative Association has welcomed the findings of the Cooke report.

The body that represnts more than 10-thousand rank and file Gardai say they never believed there was any garda involvement in the alledged bugging of the Offices of the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission.

They have however highlighted their concern over the fact that the issue of the security and personal safety of individual Gardai could have been threatened by any external surveillance has not been raised.

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