The Taoiseach may have seen reports in the Irish Daily Mail on protected disclosure which detail how confiscated weapons, including automatic firearms, ammunition and explosives, were being held at Garda headquarters in a container secured by a very simple combination lock. The report suggests that much of the weaponry is undocumented and therefore untraceable. Does the Taoiseach agree that this type of system creates a real risk of these weapons making their way back into the hands of organised criminals? We know that a pump-action shotgun that was originally seized from one criminal gang in 2009 was later seized from another criminal gang in 2023. The newspaper report suggests that the Taoiseach has had sight of the protected disclosure. Can he let the Dáil know whether he is satisfied that the facts contained in the report are true, and if so, what action will be taken to address this serious issue?

The Deputy knows well that the new procedures and protocols governing protected disclosures have been processed under the policy in place to handle such matters. I have been assured that the independent investigation by GSOC, which is investigating this matter, will be completed in due course, notwithstanding the time already lapsed since the protected disclosure was first made. Obviously, the various bodies - the Director of Public Prosecutions and GSOC itself - must continue their investigations before I can comment. I am not in a position to comment at this stage until those investigations are complete.