Vol. 423 No. 6
20 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the proposals, if any, he has for the upgrading of accommodation at various Garda stations throughout the country; the number of stations likely to be improved under this programme; the schedule for the improvements; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I can assure the Deputy of my commitment to bringing all Garda accommodation up to a proper standard. Over £35 million has been spent over the last seven years on the Garda Building Programme. To date in 1992 five new stations have been provided — a Divisional Headquarters station at Dún Laoghaire, 2 District Headquarters stations at Kells and Tipperary and 2 smaller stations at Charleville, and Monasterevin — new station accommodation has been provided at Rathkeale and Dunboyne through the refurbishment of existing premises and major refurbishment was carried out to Carrick-on-Suir station.
In addition, substantial resources have been directed towards the maintenance of Garda stations. For example, £2.3 million was spent in this way in 1991 and more than £2 million will be spent this year. Although this programme of expenditure has seen most of the worst black spots dealt with, there remain areas which require attention. I recently initiated a review of the Garda Building Programme to assess Garda accommodation needs, having regard to changing Garda requirements and to make recommendations as to how these should be met on the most cost effective basis. The review will help pinpoint the objectives we must set ourselves in relation to Garda accommodation for the years ahead. It is not possible at this stage to list and detail the specific projects which will be carried out, but the maximum amount of work will be done in the light of overall priorities and available resources.
