Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 December 2011
4 Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the names of each Garda station that will close or will have its opening hours restricted during the years 2012, 2013 or 2014 on a county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38145/11]
View answerA final decision on whether station closures will take place, and if so, what stations, will be taken in the context of the Commissioner's draft policing plan for 2012 and will be announced shortly. The policing plan will also be laid before each House of the Oireachtas.
As with every other public sector organisation, the Garda Síochána is going to have to manage with reduced resources. The Garda Commissioner has, therefore, quite properly been reviewing all aspects of the Garda Síochána's policing model, including the deployment of personnel, the utilisation of modern technologies and the operation of Garda stations, both in terms of opening hours and possible closures. The purpose of the review is to ensure that Garda resources are managed and deployed in the most appropriate manner to meet existing and emerging policing requirements and to maintain Garda front line services to the greatest extent possible, which is consistent with Government policy.
I can confirm to the Deputy that I have received the Commissioner's draft policing report. There are proposals on Garda stations which I hope to bring before my Cabinet colleagues early next week, and I expect announcements on the matter to be made next week.
We knew the Minster had the report as the Commissioner was with us this morning. The one thing he did say is that there are not 240 stations recommended. Can the Minister give us the overall amount?
Many local communities have the information. They seem to know that their station is on the list, for whatever reason. There is much genuine concern within rural communities, although the Commissioner made the point that he has not just targeted rural stations. There is also an issue in respect of the visibility and presence of a Garda station and what it does to deter crime.
The Minister made the point this morning at the committee that some stations on the list have been closed for 30 years, but they are in the minority. There are many viable stations on that list which are currently providing a service. In view of the way in which the criminal model is changing, the way in which they have greater access to different parts of the country, I would like the Minister to be very considerate of the impact of closing Garda stations in certain areas.
The OPW owns the properties to some extent, but the money for investing in these properties comes from the budget of the Department of Justice and Equality. No savings will be made to the Department if these stations are closed, but the OPW will make the savings. Why are we dismantling a Garda service to serve another Department's budgetary wants?
I know the Deputy does not expect me to announce this afternoon which stations will close. We have the Garda Commissioner's report and this has to go to the Cabinet before we make a final decision. I am not being misleading in any way when I say to the Deputy that I am not in a position to make announcements until Cabinet colleagues have been made aware of the content of the report and a final decision has been made. That decision will announced next week.
There is no reason for any community anywhere in the country to be alarmed. The proposals for closures do not apply to the very large numbers that some media outlets have been predicting. The proposals are designed to ensure greater policing effectiveness and not less. They are designed to ensure that members of the Garda Síochána are available for front line services and not engaged in administrative functions behind the desk at Garda stations that have very little footfall, or in circumstances where they would be better off out on patrol or engaging in investigation work. The proposals also apply to stations that are in such close proximity to other stations that it simply makes no sense to have two stations so close to each other. The major savings in this will be in more effective and efficient use of Garda time.
If Garda stations close, they are held by the OPW as they are the property of the State. I am dependent on a decision being made by Cabinet colleagues on the use of funds that may arise from the disposal of buildings consequent on the closure of stations. We have to address that issue.
I welcome the fact that the Minister has confirmed the Cabinet will make the decision on the report. Given that it is a Cabinet decision, perhaps it is time we looked at this across all Departments. There are public buildings in every part of the country and every Department jealously protects those public buildings. This issue came up this morning at the committee. Why do we not look at those public buildings and use available space in them for a Garda presence? Equally, we could look at using space in Garda stations for the presence of other organisations, such as Leader companies in offices held by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in rural areas. If everybody gets out of this silo mentality in respect of State property, we can maintain services and a presence in a much more cost effective way.
I have a general view that silos are a bad thing, unless something is being stored in them. Much to my surprise, I discovered in the review that some stations have not been opened for many years but have never been officially closed. A formal announcement was never made about the consolidation of some Garda stations. For example, I am aware of one station that has never officially been closed, but has not been open either since 1986. It has had no Garda presence since then. There are a small number of stations that are clearly not being used for policing purposes for a significant period of time. It is a complete mystery to me why previous Governments did not dispose of those buildings at a time when funding could have been realised, or at least used for other purposes. I hope to be in a position to address these issues when matters are decided early next week and announcements made.
