Written Answers Nos. 723-744
723. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of bicycles reported to gardaí that were stolen from Irish Rail stations in Dublin in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9813/21]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including operational matters and recording of crimes. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.
The Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 provides for offences of theft, the handling of stolen property and the possession of stolen property. The offence of theft provided for by this legislation would, based on the broad nature of the offence, include the theft of bicycles. Maximum sentences of 10 years are provided for in the case of offences of theft and handling of stolen property; while maximum sentences of 5 years are provided for the offence of possession of stolen property.
As the Deputy will fully appreciate, the Garda Commissioner and his management team are responsible for putting in place targeted Garda operations to tackle bike thefts in Dublin.
Community Gardaí are also available to provide crime prevention advice to residents' groups in areas affected by thefts, and Garda members keep injured parties appraised as to the status of investigations at all times.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that to try and identify all bicycle thefts which occurred at ‘Rail Stations’ based on that location type and scanning of narratives or using keywords on the address fields of the Garda PULSE system, would require a significant manual trawl of a high number of incidents. This would be a disproportionate use of Garda resources. An Garda Síochána is therefore not in a position to provide the information requested by the Deputy.
724. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of Garda cars and vans attached to Donegal Garda division as of 31 December 2019 and 15 February 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9814/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. The allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Commissioner, in light of identified operational demands. This includes the allocation of vehicles among the various Garda divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. I am assured however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table illustrates the number of Garda cars and vans attached to Donegal Garda Division as of 31 December 2019 and 15 February 2021, and the percentage increase between the two dates.
|
Donegal Division |
Cars |
Vans |
|
31 December 2019 |
51 |
12 |
|
18 February 2021 |
59 |
13 |
|
Percentage increase |
15.7% |
8.3% |
725. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of special exemption orders granted in 2019 and quarter 1 of 2020, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9815/21]
View answerUnder the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions. This includes responsibility for granting applications for special exemption orders of the District Court, exempting the holder of an on-licence from the provisions of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003, relating to prohibited hours in respect of licensed premises during the hours and on the occasion specified in the order.
However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has provided the information requested by the Deputy, as set out in the following table.
|
Year |
Total Orders Granted |
|
1st January – 31st December 2019 |
34,808 |
|
1st January – 31st March 2020 |
6,888 |
Changes to the licensing laws, including efforts to streamline the process for obtaining a licence, are a key part of the Justice Plan 2021 published this week alongside the Department's Strategy Statement for the next three years. As we plan for how our economy will look after the pandemic, the range of cultural offerings available in the night-time economy should broaden.
726. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of bench warrants issued to gardaí in the R district in 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9816/21]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, including the allocation of Garda resources in respect of identified operational demands. As Minister, I have no direct role in these decisions.
As the Deputy will appreciate, difficulties in relation to the execution of warrants, including bench warrants, are a long-standing issue for many police services around the world; notably relating to persons actively seeking to evade detection and where limited identification information might be available to support enforcement. I am assured, however, that An Garda Síochána execute warrants as expeditiously as possible, giving priority to the execution of warrants relating to serious crimes.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table shows counts of bench warrants issued in the Garda R District (Coolock District) during 2020 and to date in 2021:
|
Issue Year |
Bench Warrants Issued to Coolock District |
|
2020 |
199 |
|
2021* |
44 |
*Up to and including 21st February 2021.
I have been informed that these figures were collated based on PULSE data as of 1.30 a.m. on the 22nd of February 2021.
727. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the estimated cost of recruiting four additional full-time intelligence analysts at the grade of higher executive officer for the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9819/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) has a hugely important role to play in ensuring that public confidence in An Garda Síochána is safeguarded and, as such, it has extensive powers under the Garda Síochána Act 2005.
The Government is committed to ensuring that GSOC has the necessary supports and resources in order to fulfil its statutory functions and mandate. A provision of €11.27 million has been made for GSOC in 2021.
The Public Appointment Service (PAS) conducted the most recent recruitment of Intelligence Analysts for GSOC in 2019. The recruitment costs for such competitions are mainly borne directly by PAS with only external costs, such as advertising, invoiced to GSOC, which amounted to approximately €3,800 on that occasion.
I am advised by GSOC that the indicative salary costs per additional analyst, comprising basic salary of approximately €50,000 plus Employer PRSI of €5,500 per annum, are estimated to be approximately €222,000 per annum for four additional analysts.
728. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Justice if matters raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; if clarity on these matters will be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9880/21]
View answerThe Deputy refers to correspondence concerning legacy matters related to the troubles in Northern Ireland. The main focus of the correspondence is a series of ongoing independent UK police investigations or reviews into Northern Ireland legacy cases that are collectively described as the Kenova cases and are headed up by former Chief Constable Jon Boutcher.
The Deputy will appreciate that the manner in which these police investigations and reviews are pursued is entirely a matter for Operation Kenova.
I am advised that there are a number of related pieces of correspondence arising in this case, including the correspondence referred to by the Deputy, which are receiving attention and replies are being prepared to issue shortly.
729. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice the level of engagement there has been with the Private Security Authority regarding the reduction of fees for licensed contractors. [9990/21]
View answer730. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice the number of proposals to reduce fees for licensed contractors presented by the Private Security Authority on behalf of businesses which have been severely impacted by Covid-19; and the dates of such proposals. [9991/21]
View answer731. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice the reason proposals from the Private Security Authority to reduce licence fees for licensed contractors were rejected given the significant impact of Covid-19 on their business operations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9992/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 729 to 731, inclusive, together.
The Private Security Authority (PSA), established under the Private Security Services Act 2004, as amended, is responsible for the licensing and regulation of the private security industry in the State. The PSA is an independent statutory body under the aegis of my Department and I have no involvement in the day-to-day operations of the Authority.
However, I can inform the Deputy that in April 2020, the Board of the PSA submitted proposals to my Department for a change in the licence fee for contractors. This proposal took account of the impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on the security industry at that time, and also the additional costs which will arise from implementing the new health and safety requirements in the workplace. Having considered this matter against the backdrop of evolving arrangements for reopening society and business, I requested the Board of the PSA to review their proposal in light of what might be the continuing impact of COVID-19 on the security industry.
An updated proposal was received by my Department from the PSA in October 2020 and as the Deputy can appreciate, due to the potential impact on exchequer receipts it was deemed prudent to first seek the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform approval in this regard. While following consideration the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform were of the view that the proposal would at the time be a disproportionate response, they also put forward an alternative proposal in the form of a four month transitional moratorium.
Having considered the proposal from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the PSA advised my Department that this option was similar to the instalment payment arrangements already available from the PSA to contractors.
My Department will remain available to continue engagement with all stakeholders in this regard.
732. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice the number of licensed contractors registered with the Private Security Authority in 2020. [9993/21]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that at the end of 2020 there were 1,760 Private Security Authority licences in circulation, comprising a total of 1,434 contractors.
Some contractors have licences to operate in several sectors.
733. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Justice the timeline for the drafting of a new family law Bill to include the recommendations of the report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality on the reform of the family law system 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10030/21]
View answerFamily law reform is a major element of my Justice Plan 2021. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to enact a Family Court Bill to create a new dedicated Family Court within the existing court structure and provide for court procedures that support a less adversarial resolution of disputes.
In September 2020, the Government approved the drafting of a Family Court Bill along the lines of the General Scheme which I have published. In the preparation of the General Scheme, account has been taken of the Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality on the Reform of the Family Law System, published in October 2019.
The publication of the General Scheme is a first step in an ongoing process of improving how people are able to resolve family-based problems that require a legal solution. The overall aim is to change the culture so that the focus of the family justice system meets the complex needs of people who need help with family justice issues.
The General Scheme of the Family Court Bill has been referred to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for drafting and to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice for pre-legislative scrutiny. It is not possible at this stage to indicate when the Bill is likely to be published or to predict the timeframe for the legislative process with regard to the Bill after its publication.
735. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); if further information is required in this case; when the application is likely to be brought to a conclusion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10115/21]
View answerAn application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy on 12 February 2018. This application is currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. If any further documentation is required, it will be requested from the person in due course.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
736. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice when applicants can apply for membership of the Parole Board; and the process for submitting applications. [10129/21]
View answerThe establishment of the Parole Board is a priority under my Justice Plan 2021, which envisages the new Board being fully operational by July 2021.
The Government has supported this commitment with funding allocated for the Parole Board for 2021 of €1.3 million, which is more than double previous allocations.
I have put in place a dedicated project team to coordinate, track and drive forward this work across this Department and the Sector. To date, the team has consulted with a number of key stakeholders and a project plan has been finalised. This plan maps out a critical path of the various milestones to be achieved from now through to the commencement of the Act and the establishment of the Board.
My goal is for the full complement of Board members to be ready and available for appointment by end-June 2021 or shortly thereafter; as the Deputy will understand, the appointments cannot be formalised until the Act has been commenced. The final stage of the process will be the drafting and signing of the Commencement Order, which I expect to be ready by July 2021.
Section 10 of the Parole Act 2019 provides that the Board shall comprise between 12 and 15 members bringing together the professional experience, skills and knowledge of the criminal justice system required to make a reasonable and balanced assessment of cases.
Under the Act, the majority of members of the Parole Board will be nominated by specified nominating bodies and specified post-holders as set out in Section 10, and appointed by me as Minister in accordance with the relevant legislative provisions. Ensuring gender balance among the membership is an important element of the process and is built into the legislation in a clear and constructive manner.
I am delighted to note that, as an important first step in the membership process, the Chief Justice has recently nominated Mr Justice Michael White, a High Court Judge, as the inaugural Chairperson of the Parole Board. My Department has commenced initial, preparatory work with Mr Justice Michael White. I have written to the other nominating bodies and specified post-holders in line with subsections 10(3)(b) to 10(3)(h), inclusive, of the above Act and have requested their responses in the coming weeks.
In addition to the nominated members, it remains open to me Minister to appoint between one and four members to the Board directly in line with subsections 10(3) (i) and 10(3)(j), provided that those persons fulfil the eligibility criteria set out in section 10(5) of the Act and have sufficient and appropriate experience and expertise.
It is my stated preference that the selection of individuals suitable for such appointments would be facilitated via an open Public Appointments Service (PAS) process; my Department has made contact with PAS in this regard and further details about this process will be made public as soon as possible.
Mr Justice White has accepted an invitation by my Department to guide the drafting of the relevant role specifications in this regard.
In making these appointments, I will take stakeholder perspectives into consideration to the greatest extent possible, bearing in mind the requirement for fair procedures and the need for a range of appropriate expertise in order for the Board to formulate its decisions in a consistent, accountable and robust manner.
I would also be very happy to see a victim’s representative on the Board.
737. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Justice if a NDLS receipt for a driver licence renewal will be accepted by An Garda Síochána in lieu of the licence given the extensive backlog as a result of Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10150/21]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, including operational matters and the deployment of resources. As Minister, I have no role in these matters. Further, road traffic legislation and related matters, including drivers licences, are in the first instance matters for my colleague the Minister for Transport and his Department.
Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton TD has announced details of a further extension to the expiry dates of driving licences. The move comes as the EU and national Governments take steps in response to the disruption caused by Covid-19 to driver licensing services across the EU.
The change will apply as follows:
- Any licence holder, who has not already renewed, and whose licence expired between 1 March 2020 and 31 May 2020, will have a new expiry date of 1 July 2021.
- Any licence holder, who has not already renewed, and whose licence expired between 1 June 2020 and 31 August 2020 will have thirteen months (which includes the previous extension) added to their expiry date. By way of example a licence which expired on 31 August 2020 will have a new expiry date of 30 September 2021.
- Any licence holder, who has not already renewed and whose licence expiry date is between 1 September 2020 and 30 June 2021 will have an extra ten months added to their expiry date. By way of example a licence which expires on 30 June 2021 will have a new expiry date of 30 April 2022 .
738. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice the number of monitoring visits the anti-money laundering compliance unit within her Department has undertaken in respect of non-regulated accountants, external accountants and those who are members of an organisation (details supplied) from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10181/21]
View answer739. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice if the anti-money laundering compliance unit within her Department has reviewed a list of individuals and companies having a tax adviser's identification number from records maintained by the Revenue Commissioners; the number of inspections that have occurred of individuals and companies based on this list from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10182/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 738 and 739 together.
As the Deputy may be aware, the Minister for Justice is a competent authority, responsible for supervising a range of designated persons for compliance with their anti-money laundering/counter financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) obligations, under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 as amended.
I have delegated this role to the Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Unit (AMLCU) in my Department. The unit supervises designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs) that are not supervised by other competent authorities. The unit is the competent authority for tax advisors and external accountants that are not otherwise supervised by one of the eight prescribed accountancy bodies.
The vast majority of accountants in Ireland are members of a prescribed accounting body. The AML/CFT National Risk Assessment indicates that there are 34,000 regulated accountants in Ireland. There is no requirement under the Act for external accountants and tax advisors not otherwise supervised to register with the Unit.
To date, the AMLCU has identified approximately 200 external accountants that are not otherwise supervised by a prescribed accounting body. There were 34 on-site regulatory inspections by the Unit of external accountants/tax advisors not otherwise supervised between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2020. In 2018, under section 66 of the Act, the Unit requested a list from Revenue of those registered as tax advisors.
27 of the 34 inspected in the period have a tax advisor identification number noted on Revenue records.
At inspection, regulatory investigators of the AMLCU verify that those being inspected are not members of a prescribed accountancy body. Membership of the organisation in the details supplied by the Deputy is not checked at inspection. However, three of those inspected in the period specifically mentioned to regulatory investigators that they were members of the organisation in the details supplied by the Deputy.
740. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of residency and naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10264/21]
View answerFor reasons of maintaining full confidentiality, it is not my Department's practice to comment on whether an application for asylum or subsidiary protection has been made in the State. An applicant for such protection status, or their legal representative, should contact either the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) directly, as appropriate.
The IPO may be contacted: by email to info@ipo.gov.ie; by telephone to the IPO Customer Service Centre at 01 6028008 or in writing to Customer Service Centre, International Protection Office, 79-83 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.
The IPAT may be contacted either: by email to info@protectionappeals.ie; by telephone at 01-4748400 (or Lo-Call 1890 201 458), or in writing to Corporate Services Division, The International Protection Appeals Tribunal, 6-7 Hanover Street East, Dublin D02 W320.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
741. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of convictions in the courts from 2010, by year in tabular form for possession of a knife or other weapons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10303/21]
View answerI have requested the number of knife crime convictions in each of the years 2010 to 2020 from the Courts Service, and I am advised that there are no separate code for various categories of knife crime, the code supplied to the Courts Service by An Garda Síochána includes knives or other articles which could include screwdrivers, knuckledusters, guns etc.
The following table sets out the number of convictions and number of persons convicted for Possession of Knives & other Articles under Section 9(1) Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990.
|
Year |
No of convictions |
No of Persons convicted |
|
2010 |
716 |
646 |
|
2011 |
701 |
622 |
|
2012 |
564 |
509 |
|
2013 |
525 |
478 |
|
2014 |
508 |
451 |
|
2015 |
467 |
422 |
|
2016 |
429 |
390 |
|
2017 |
466 |
417 |
|
2018 |
548 |
482 |
|
2019 |
593 |
513 |
|
2020 |
490 |
434 |
The following table sets out the number of convictions and number of persons convicted for Possession of Flick-Knife under Section 9(4) Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990.
|
Year |
No of convictions |
No of Persons convicted |
|
2010 |
72 |
70 |
|
2011 |
79 |
75 |
|
2012 |
61 |
59 |
|
2013 |
61 |
56 |
|
2014 |
61 |
59 |
|
2015 |
55 |
53 |
|
2016 |
54 |
53 |
|
2017 |
44 |
43 |
|
2018 |
53 |
53 |
|
2019 |
59 |
57 |
|
2020 |
44 |
42 |
The Deputy should note that the Courts Service can only provide data in relation to where offence codes provided on the system were used by prosecutors. Prosecutors may have used uncoded free text offences and any such offences would not be included in the data provided in the tables above. Furthermore, a person may be convicted for both offences and will appear more than once on the report.
742. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the legislation in relation to sentencing for knife crimes and which policies around knife crimes are under review by her Department; the frequency of the issues reviewed; the details of this review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10304/21]
View answerIn the Justice Plan 2021, which I published this week, my Department commits to reviewing Garda powers in relation to dangerous weapons, including knives, to ensure they have the necessary legal tools to protect our communities.
As the Deputy will be aware, the relevant legislation for knife-crime in Ireland falls mainly under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990, and the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. The maximum prison sentence for carrying a knife is five years, which is high in comparison to other common law jurisdictions, with higher potential sentences for knife-enabled crime such as theft or assault. International research points to increased sentencing not being an effective strategy for reducing knife crime.
Instead, international best practice points to targeted interventions and community engagement as being the best approach to tackle knife-crime and other criminal activity that is particularly prevalent among young people.
The Department will therefore also focus on analysing existing data, as well as developing new sources of data, and looking at international best practice to inform policy in this area. Officials are working to see how we can adapt elements of the Scottish and London approaches to tackling knife crime to Ireland. This work will see them engage with hospitals and education services to build a greater understanding of the problem of violent crime in Ireland.
Much good work has already been done by my Department and by An Garda Síochána, operating in conjunction with local communities and other state agencies. My Department is also helping to coordinate the roll-out of the pilot Local Community Safety Partnerships. These partnerships are the structures proposed under the Department’s new Community Safety Policy to take a holistic approach to safety issues in partnership with the community involved. The pilots will operate at local authority administrative level and will be made up of local representatives, a range of local services, community representatives and residents. They will be aimed at tackling a range of problems, including knife-crime at a local and community level.
The forthcoming Youth Justice Strategy will also strengthen and enhance our supports and interventions for young people who are at risk of involvement in crime and anti-social behaviour. In addressing youth offending, our goal is to support young people to stop offending and to foster socially beneficial changes to their behaviour, most especially with regard to knife-crime. I am very conscious of the need to help rehabilitate young people who commit knife-crime, as is the Government. My Department's review of the legislation in the area of knife-crime will be governed to a certain extent by this overall objective.
743. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice when the new youth justice strategy will be implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10306/21]
View answerMinister McEntee and I will shortly be bringing to Government and publishing a new Youth Justice Strategy to cover the period from now until 2026. It includes consideration of the full range of issues connected to children and young people at risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice system, including early intervention and preventative work, family support and diversion from crime, through to court processes and facilities, supervision of offenders, detention and reintegration and support post release.
The measures in the Strategy are premised on the need to maximise opportunities to promote positive behavioural change and desistance from offending. This will require a sustained commitment to collaborative working between State agencies and community partners, as well as a commitment to prioritise resource allocation to address factors connected to early involvement in criminal activity and more serious offending patterns.
The Strategy will strengthen and expand the role of the Garda Youth Diversion Projects and other community-based initiatives, including those working with the Probation Service. Bringing the full range of relevant interventions together in a coherent and holistic response to youth crime will support the objective of diverting young people from crime and anti-social behaviour.
The Youth Justice Strategy will provide a framework to:
- prevent offending behaviour occurring;
- divert children and young adults who commit a crime away from further offending and involvement with the criminal justice system;
- enhance criminal justice processes, detention and post-detention measures, to provide consistent support to encourage desistance from crime and promote positive personal development for young offenders.
744. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice if approval will be given for a Garda station in a location (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10382/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the effective and efficient use of Garda resources. This includes responsibility for the formulation of proposals in relation to the opening and closing of Garda stations and the manner in which Gardaí are to be distributed and stationed throughout the State. The programme of replacement and refurbishment of Garda accommodation is progressed by the Garda authorities working in close cooperation with the Office of Public Works (OPW), which has the responsibility for the provision and maintenance of Garda accommodation.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the determination of the need for a new Garda Station in Milltown, Co. Kerry, and other locations, will be considered by An Garda Síochána in the context of the overall accommodation requirements arising from the ongoing expansion of the Garda workforce, the implementation the reforms outlined in A Policing Service for our Future and the implementation of the new Garda Operating Model. These factors will inform the accommodation priorities of An Garda Síochána over the years 2022-2028.
