I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment and I also thank the Minister of State who is present here tonight. I will be brief on this issue.
I want to bring to the attention of the Minister the extremely bad condition of Oldcastle Garda station and the urgent need to carry out necessary structural repairs to alleviate the problem and to allow the Garda to carry out their duties in a more healthy and improved environment. Oldcastle Garda station was erected in 1882. It was then used as a station for the old Royal Irish Constabulary. After the Treaty and during the Civil War the barracks was in possession of and manned by the Free State police. Its history is very interesting. On the 15 September 1922 the barracks was attacked by the IRA. Two huge bombs were placed at the barracks, one at the front entrance and one at the back entrance. I believe only one of the bombs exploded and it caused severe structural damage and roof damage. I believe the much larger bomb was at the back entrance and it failed to explode. Had it exploded it would have blown half of the town of Oldcastle up or down, whichever way you like to put it. After this episode the station was vacated for 12 months to allow the necessary repairs to be carried out. It was then repossessed and has continued as a barracks since then. At that time 24 hour duty was being performed at the station which has been in continuous operation since the Garda Force was established and the building itself is constructed from limestone.
It is a two-storey building which comprises a day room, size 13' 8" by 13' 4" which contains files, records, and lockers for the Garda sergeant and three gardaí who are on duty there. There is a small hall at the rear of the barracks. There is a small toilet and that is the only station accommodation available at the present time. The remainder of the barracks was previously used as living accommodation for the sergeant in charge of the Garda station. The vacant space, as proposed accommodation for the future, comprises a kitchen and sitting room downstairs. Upstairs there are four rooms and a toilet. When the building is renovated it will provide accommodation for the Garda sergeant's office, locker room and other much needed storage space. It should be noted that at present the station has not even got a cell to hold a prisoner should the need arise.
The entire station reeks with dampness. There is fungus growing on the walls between the stone floors and the wooden presses there. Paint is falling off the walls and grey mortar is exposed. I believe this is a very poor environment for the gardaí to work in and carry out their duties. Worse still it is a poor introduction for the general public upon entering the station. The hallway and toilets are in a dreadful condition. This is the area where members have their personal lockers and hang up their coats, hats etc. upon taking up duty. In general this station presents a very poor image and many comments to this effect have been voiced by the general public upon entering the station. I believe that the patience of the gardaí must surely be exhausted by this time. The barracks is an embarrassment to the gardaí who are stationed there. I honestly believe that no other State employed sector would have tolerated this situation for so long. I understand that plans have been approved for renovation of the barracks and in fact I believe that money has been sanctioned for the project. The Board of Works have approved the plans for conversion of the old married quarters for station accommodation and a sum of £23,000, I understand has been approved and sanctioned.
I am calling on the Minister here tonight to use his good offices to have the work carried out at Oldcastle Garda station to alleviate these deplorable conditions which I have just described. We will agree that we are living at a time when the public must depend on a good, strong and well-equipped Garda force. We are lucky in that the Garda station in Oldcastle has always been well received and respected by the citizens of that area and the Garda have given tremendous service down through the years.
I might also add that Oldcastle is one of the most crime-free towns in Ireland today and I am very proud of that fact. There has always been tremendous liaison between the gardaí and the people in that area. That, in no small way, has contributed to the good crime situation. I would like to place on record my appreciation and that of the people in the area of the tremendous service the gardaí have given down through the years. I am sure that the Minister will appreciate that if the service I have mentioned is to continue at the same level, it is not alone desirable but most essential that the gardaí be allowed to work in a proper environment in order to carry out their duties most effectively. I would greatly appreciate it if the Minister would use his good offices to have this matter rectified in the immediate future. I thank him very much for coming here tonight. I was not sure if it would be taken by the Department of Justice or by the Minister of State or the Department of the Environment. I am told that this issue of renovation of Garda stations can be tossed about from the Department of Finance to the Department of Justice to the Board of Works and back again and at the end of the day nobody seems to know who is responsible. But I understand the Minister will probably be keen to take a personal interest in this issue and have the work carried out.
It is a fact that we have no gardaí permanently stationed in Oldcastle and I remember the time, not so very long ago, when the Garda sergeant lived in the barracks — under very poor conditions, I might add — and reared his family there. Each garda in the town of Oldcastle provided his own accommodation or rented it. At the present time we have not got one Garda member stationed in Oldcastle in permanent residence there. It is a matter of concern to me. While it is a crime-free town, outside elements create havoc when they come to a place like Oldcastle, especially at Christmas time when premises are well stocked. They throw a stone through a window and rob and plunder. People are defenceless.
That is an issue which ought to be brought to the attention of the Minister for Justice. Members of the Garda should have permanent residence in rural towns such as Oldcastle. Our immediate problem is the condition of the station in Oldcastle. I am not blaming the Minister of State or the Minister for Justice. This should have been done long ago. Plans are in progress to alleviate the problem. I would ask the Minister to remedy the situation.
