The Tánaiste and Justice Minister, Frances Fitzgerald, has refused to apologise to former Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, after an investigation cleared him of corruption.
The O'Higgins Commission report, published this lunchtime, also cleared former Justice Minister Alan Shatter - who it says took the allegations from a whistleblower 'very seriously'.
The report finds no evidence of Garda corruption or criminality.
However, it found flaws with how several crime investigations were handled by the Cavan-Monaghan division, and how the division treated the victims of crime.
In a statement, Minister Fitzgerald said: "Whatever controversies might have surrounded some of the issues dealt with in the report we should not lose sight of one central and unpalatable fact: the report identifies a number of cases where victims of crime were not well served by An Garda Síochána.
"That is as unacceptable as it is disheartening and we must take all measures open to us to ensure that these shortcomings are not repeated," she added.
Repeatedly asked to apologise to Martin Callinan, the Tánaiste said she was pleased the report found he acted appropriately at all times.
Mick Clifford of the Irish Examiner told Newstalk Lunchtime that the report finds that whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe "did a service not only to the country but to an Garda Síochána, that his bonafides were totally accepted and that he was truthful at all times. Basically it sung his praises."
However, he added that the Commission suggests "that in areas he exaggerated some of his allegations. But one has to look at that in the context of somebody who was attempting for seven years to have these issues addressed and kept running into brick walls".
