Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 November 2004
77 Mr. J. O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on whether the 20 year old radio walkie-talkie equipment supplied to members of the Garda Síochána is unreliable and totally out of date; the reason the modern Tetra communications system announced five years ago has not been generally rolled out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27313/04]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, a pilot digital radio system covering the Dublin north central division and traffic section of Dublin Castle has been completed by the Garda Síochána. Following its successful completion, the Garda Síochána prepared a detailed business case for the extension of the system on a nationwide basis and this was submitted to me in January 2004 by the Garda Commissioner.
The benefits of digital radio are obvious, including the additional security it provides over the analogue system currently in use. Discussions are in train between officials of my Department, the Garda authorities and the Department of Finance on technical and implementation options. These discussions are now nearing conclusion. There is consensus on the procurement model to be adopted in respect of Garda requirements. Procurement will be based on an outsourced service provision basis and will involve the bulk of the infrastructure being provided by the private sector with detailed service level agreements in place with the Garda Síochána.
The rationale behind this decision is twofold. First, it will minimise the need for members of the Garda Síochána to support and maintain the system. This is in line with my overall policy of ensuring that Garda resources are concentrated on operational duties, not on gardaí acting as technicians for radio systems. Second, the approach being adopted should allow participation by the other emergency services in the same network, thus enabling all emergency services to communicate with one another in the context of major emergencies and other shared or joint operations.
The alternative course open to me was for the Garda to purchase, own, maintain and operate a system involving a huge initial capital outlay, likely to be in excess of €100 million, with all the risks and additional costs inherent in such a major one-off purchase. Regarding timescales for the project, it is estimated that a tender to issue to the marketplace will be finalised in the new year. Tenders will set out indicative timescales which will be incorporated in the contract finalised with the successful bidder.
Will the Minister accept it is outrageous that the Garda should be left with 20 year old walkie-talkies when a new system was promised five years ago and not rolled out? Does the Minister therefore agree that when the Taoiseach spoke in this House this morning about the Garda being supplied with the best equipment, he was talking through his hat? The Garda is using unreliable worn-out radios and in many instances gardaí are forced to borrow mobile phones to connect to headquarters. Does the Minister accept that there are problems other than with that sort of equipment, such as with the financing of the Garda PULSE system for example? Last week I discovered that while we have 703 Garda stations, only 181 have been connected to the PULSE system.
The situation is the same with bullet-proof vests. They are pooled rather than issued individually. A case was discussed earlier this year with regard to speed detection guns. The guns on issue did not comply with the legislation that they should be capable of producing enduring records. Will the Minister accept that a genuine effort is needed to supply the Garda with the best, most modern and up-to-date equipment, that the Government has not made that effort and that the necessary funds must now be made available if we are to move towards making the Garda Síochána the best-equipped police force in the world? Having to use 20 year old equipment puts the Garda back in the days of the Keystone Cops as far as equipment is concerned.
I would not say they are back in the days of the Keystone Cops but back in the days of Fine Gael and Labour in government. That is where they probably still are.
All of this arose in the past seven years.
Regarding unruly remarks made earlier by the Deputy, I remind him that while his party was in office, the number of gardaí declined. This Government has put record resources into the Garda Síochána.
There are record problems.
The Garda Síochána has never been more resourced in terms of numbers and equipment than it is now. Compared with the levels of expenditure on Garda equipment when the Deputy and his party were in office, levels which were pitiful, the Garda is now going from strength to strength and has never been better equipped.
Why will the Minister not equip the Garda properly now?
The Garda has never been better equipped.
The Minister should not be going back into history.
If the Deputy will allow me to finish, I have to provide the Garda with the best possible digital radio system. I also have to give the Irish taxpayer value for money.
Neither is being supplied.
I could have blown over €100 million on a radio phone system and then found that a mistake had been made. I am making the prudent decision to have this service for the Garda outsourced so that it will be of the highest quality and can be changed and improved with time.
Deputy O'Keeffe raised other matters such as other equipment, non-lethal weapons and bullet-proof vests. I am delaying nothing. I have made it clear to the Garda Commissioner that resources will be put in place for any equipment he believes is reasonably necessary for his force of gardaí.
Is it the case that the only money of consequence which the Minister spent was the €1 million spent either towards the end of last year or earlier this year on maintaining the present obsolete system of 20 year old walkie-talkies which were recently highlighted in a newspaper article as being unreliable and worn out? The same article made it clear that in many instances, gardaí had to use their own mobile phones or borrow equipment from others to keep in touch with their headquarters. Is that not a ridiculous system for the Minister to preside over? Will he agree that he should accept this pressure from the Opposition as being of some assistance to him in getting the necessary funds from the Minister for Finance this time to properly equip the Garda?
Before the Deputy ever tabled his parliamentary question, I was addressing this issue. Since I became Minister it has been my intention to ensure that the Garda Síochána is properly equipped.
The Minister has been in the job for two and a half years.
Whatever about the new equipment and the new gardaí?
Deputy O'Keeffe may think that his rhetoric on this subject is of assistance to me, but it is not because I have already decided what action to take on this issue and how I would set about it. I am grateful to him for his support for everything I am doing to make the Garda the strongest and best equipped force in the history of the State. I ask him to reflect on the fact that if these walkie-talkies are defective or inadequate, which I agree they are, they were also in poor condition seven years ago when they were 13 years old, and Fine Gael had been in office for five years without doing anything to address the inadequacies.
I am prodding the Minister to do something. The Minister admits that the equipment was inadequate two and a half years ago.
