The Taoiseach has said the Garda Representative Association should provide evidence to support its claims that rank and file gardaí were forced by more senior officers to falsify breath test figures.

Leo Varadkar was echoing comments made by Deputy Commissioner for Policing and Security John Twomey, who asked GRA representatives to substantiate their allegations that the figures were, as they put it, "elevated".

Mr Twomey also called on the GRA to cite cases where senior officers gathered false data to improve their promotion chances.

GRA General Secretary Pat Ennis specifically blamed sergeants and inspectors when he told his members that "AGSI members instructed our members to inflate figures."

The AGSI rejected this claim in a statement this morning and said it has written to the GRA about the claim.

The association representing sergeants and inspectors says it is awaiting the outcome of the Policing Authority's Independent report before commenting further

Mr Varadkar has also said it is important that there be individual accountability for anyone that falsified breath tests.

However, he drew a clear distinction between that and prosecutions.

The Taoiseach said there is a difference between being held accountable for wrongdoing in the workplace and prosecution, and he did not think anyone was proposing prosecutions at this stage.