Commissioner Drew Harris insists ministers should have garda drivers after death threat to TD

Their warning comes after a “sinister” death threat letter was received by Fianna Fáil minister of state Jack Chambers.

It was sent to the constituency office of the Dublin West TD and junior minister in the Department of Transport and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.

Gardaí in Blanchardstown, with support from Garda HQ in Phoenix Park, have been investigating the letter. A source said a review by the Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service has recommended garda protection for government ministers be extended to the three super-junior ministers.

It will be up to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to decide whether to implement the recommendation.

Garda drivers were reinstated to all senior cabinet ministers last September following a recommendation from Harris over increased security concerns. This did not apply to Chambers, Hildegarde Naughton and Pippa Hackett, the three junior ministers who attend cabinet and continue to use civilian drivers.

In 2011, when Fine Gael and Labour came to power, they introduced civilian drivers for most government ministers, although the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Justice Minister and Attorney general all retained garda protection. That has changed in recent years, with more ministers being given garda drivers due to increased risks associated with their work.

Simon Harris, the acting Justice Minister while Helen McEntee is on maternity leave, has been informed of the threat against Chambers, but security sources indicate it is for the garda chief to recommend whether the complement of garda protection drivers should be extended to the three super-junior ministers.

Chambers’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The cost of the ministerial civilian drivers is reported to be about €2.5m a year. It was nearly €6m when all senior ministers had a garda driver, and the ministerial pool of drivers had 77 gardaí assigned to it.

Speaking last year, Micheál Martin said it was not a financial matter.

“It’s not a cost issue, it’s a security issue. The Government didn’t start this,” he said. “A lot of ministers don’t want to return to garda drivers. They are quite happy with the civilian drivers they have, which cost less as well.

“I’m not sure about the net cost between transitioning from where ministers have civilian drivers to garda drivers, but the commissioner is adamant.

“You recall there was a review done in terms of the vulnerability of politicians to assault, attack and so on. So this is a security matter. The commissioner is adamant that if this isn’t done, there’s a risk to senior ministers — and that’s the bottom line.”

​There has been a spate of incidents involving government and opposition TDs, with protesters now frequently targeting politicians’ homes.

Only last week, Patricia Ryan, a Sinn Féin TD in Kildare South, told the Dáil her assistant was attacked at her constituency office. The assistant had to be given a tetanus injection as the attack drew blood.

A 58-year-old woman was sectioned last week under the Mental Health Act in the wake of the assault. She was arrested in the street in Athy after earlier entering Ms Ryan’s office. The 33-year-old assistant was abused, pummelled and scratched and her laptop was damaged.

Last year, An Garda Síochána told the Government there is enough intelligence to suggest a potential threat against all members of the cabinet, based on monitoring of those involved in far-right anti-vaccine movements.

The fact the entire cabinet signed off on such decisions as the Covid lockdowns and the vaccine rollout is seen as effectively putting all ministers at potential risk.

Civilian drivers who were made redundant last year were offered ex-gratia severance payments or a redeployment to temporary clerical officer vacancies at the Department of Social Protection.