Update (4.07pm): Former Justice Minister Alan Shatter has welcomed the findings of the O’Higgins Commission.

The report found that Alan Shatter did take the claims of whistleblower, Sergeant Maurice McCabe “very seriously” during his time as a government Minister.

Mr Shatter said he would be writing to the Taoiseach to have the findings of the Guerin report removed from the record of the Dáil.

The O’Higgins report also found there was not a scintilla of evidence to support a claim of corruption against former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.

Update (2.50pm): The Policing Authority has today welcomed the publication of the O’Higgins report into complaints of garda malpractice.

“The Minister’s announcement that the report is being referred to the Authority has been noted,” it stated.

“The Policing Authority is the body responsible for overseeing the performance by the Garda Síochána of its functions in relation to policing services.

“The investigation undertaken by the Commission was a very important one.

“The Authority will now carefully study the content of the report and will consider its findings and recommendations before deciding on its next steps.

“The Authority expects that matters which are within its oversight remit will be discussed further with the Garda Commissioner and her senior team in the Authority’s ongoing engagement with the Garda Síochána.”

Earlier: The Tánaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has repeatedly 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”.

Minister Fitzgerald said what is very clear is that the criminal justice system at the time was “engulfed” in controversies.

But repeatedly asked to apologise to Martin Callinan, the Tánaiste said she was pleased the report found he acted appropriately at all times.

“What I would like to say is that I am very pleased that the Commissioner has been found to have acted appropriately at all times in relation to the issues examined here,” she said.

“The allegation of corruption was not found to be upheld in any way, and I fully accept the report’s findings in relation to that.”