James Browne
Question:
417. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda stations in County Wexford that have no internet access; the locations of same; the proposed timeline to address this dearth of access; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35497/18]
View answer
As the Deputy will appreciate decisions in relation to the provision and allocation of Garda resources including ICT resources are a matter for the Garda Commissioner in light of his identified operational demands and the availability of resources and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter.
I have asked the Garda Commissioner for the specific information requested and I will write to the Deputy directly when I receive it.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 417 for answer on 7 September 2018, in which the Deputy requested details regarding Garda stations in County Wexford that have no internet access.
As the Deputy will recall, the information he requested could not be obtained in the time available, and I undertook to contact him again when the information was to hand.
The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to An Garda Síochána. Further, decisions in relation to the provision and allocation of Garda equipment and resources, including ICT resources and the networking of Garda stations, are matters for the Garda Commissioner in light of availability of resources and his identified operational demands. As Minister, I have no direct role in the matter.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that broadband networks and services are used to connect stations to the Garda network for official purposes. All of the connections to the Garda stations are managed in Telecommunications Division to ensure the speed of the network connection meets the requirements of the particular location.
I am further informed by the Garda authorities that as of 20 November 2018, 18 of the 21 Garda stations in the Wexford Division are currently connected to the Garda network.
For security and operational reasons the locations of the non-networked stations cannot be disclosed.
I am informed by the Garda Síochána that any member attached to a currently unconnected station can access PULSE at their local district station. Members in non-networked locations can also contact the Garda Information Services Center (GISC) or an associated networked station if required.
I have been further advised by the Garda authorities that options for providing members attached to these remaining stations not yet networked with local access to Garda ICT services are actively being explored. This includes an assessment of the availability or otherwise of local broadband services and/or the provision of mobile technology.
I hope this information is of assistance.
