I propose to take Questions Nos. 490 to 492, inclusive, together.
I have previously acknowledged that certain Garda accommodation is not up to standard. However, considerable investment is being made, in terms of money, time and effort, to improve the working conditions for all gardaí in stations across the country.
It would be difficult to accurately estimate the funding required to address all Garda accommodation requirements. The scale of works necessary can vary greatly from location to location and can involve, in some cases, new sites, major refurbishments or, indeed, the provision of new stations. That said, I am advised by OPW that in the order of €100 million will be expended on the Garda building programme between now and the end of 2007.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that there are no set criteria used to prioritise stations for attention. Each station is considered by Garda headquarters taking into account the merits of the case made by local Garda management and associated reports supplied by the Office of Public Works. Moreover, as part of the Garda building programme process, the agreement of the main Garda representative associations is also sought and obtained.
It should be noted that there are a large number of projects, large and small, which require to be undertaken to address overall Garda accommodation needs. In addition to regular maintenance works, emergency repairs and so forth, which are addressed as required, works are not always undertaken in order of agreed priority. For instance, the commencement of a project may first be dependent on the successful acquisition of a suitable site for the proposed development and this militates against the compilation of a definitive list. It is also the case that, in the nature of things, priorities are subject to review and change.