To say that the inquiry chairman, Mr Justice Robert Barr "had four years to make up his mind, while officers only had seconds" when they decided to shoot Mr Carthy after a 25-hour siege is as boorish as it is disappointing.

How depressing also that the first reaction of the medical profession to Mary Harney's Medical Practitioners Bill . . . which gives a greater say to lay people in the regulation of doctors . . . should be largely hostile. Reports say that as many as 1,000 doctors have signed a petition opposing a lay majority on the Medical Council, and many hospital consultants are angrily opposed to increased lay representation because it puts a dent in the tradition of doctors policing themselves.

The events of this week highlight more than ever why powerful institutions and professions need structures which allow for independent scrutiny . . . not just in response to tragic and controversial events, but as an ongoing provision to maintain high standards and thereby prevent tragedy.

The Barr report is as good as independent inquiries get: balanced, succinct, direct, unafraid of blunt criticism of individuals and systems and full of intelligent recommendations to ensure similar mistakes are not made But the response of gardai from the commissioner Noel Conroy down to rank and file representatives would indicate that hope could well be in vain. Commissioner Conroy's reaction has neither embraced the message nor the spirit of the Barr inquiry. He appears to expect us to take it on trust that the changes recommended in the report are now in place.

How can we believe that when his own internal inquiry into the shooting of John Carthy, carried out by Det Supt Adrian Culligan, was a self-serving, broad exoneration of the gardai, which devoted 18 pages to the character of the dead man and the actions of his family.

Clearly that is not good enough, which is why the recent appointment of the garda ombudsman commission and a garda inspectorate were so badly needed and are so welcome, even if they do have to report to the Minister for Justice Our story today that the number of complaints about doctors to the Medical Council has increased sharply in the past year highlights the fact that people are now less afraid to question the actions of their medical advisors. It's all the more reason why we need to trust the body we go to when we have a complaint.

Shining an independent light over the competence and workings of a vast range of powerful professions and institutions does not mean that those who make up a regulatory body are against those professions.

It is in the interests of everyone that powerful institutions work for us all, and not just for themselves.