Martin Kenny
Question:86. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice the status of the proposed new Garda station for Sligo town; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37160/21]
View answerThursday, 8 July 2021
Questions (86)
Oral answers (8 contributions)
I raise the matter of the Garda station in Sligo town. A new Garda station has been promised for the past few decades. The station is located on a narrow street opposite the courthouse and in an old building that has been there for the past 100 or 150 years. It is one of those places that has had extensions and bits added on to it, and to go from one end of it to the other people have to go upstairs and downstairs. It is probably the most higgledy-piggledy, inappropriate Garda station in the country. Sligo needs a new Garda station as quickly as possible.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As he will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including the Garda estate. As Minister for Justice, I have no direct role in these matters. The Deputy will also be aware the Office of Public Works, OPW, has responsibility for the provision and maintenance of Garda accommodation. Works on Garda accommodation are progressed by the Garda authorities, working in close co-operation with the OPW. The determination of the need for the development of a new Garda station in any location is considered by the Garda Commissioner in the context of the overall accommodation requirements arising from the ongoing expansion of the Garda workforce and the availability of capital funding as well as the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.
One of the key recommendations of the commission was the introduction of a new Garda operating model, which was announced by the Commissioner in 2019. As part of this reform, the Commissioner decided not to progress a new build for Sligo Garda station, taking account of a range of factors, the most pertinent of which was the decision to create a new three-county division of Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim, with the divisional headquarters based in Letterkenny. An Garda Síochána has invested, and continues to invest, significant funding in refurbishing the current Garda station in Sligo. This includes the provision of new locker facilities and the complete upgrade of the three floors in the building, including the public office. I understand further upgrade works are under way, including the provision of a new cell block to allow for additional capacity and improved custody management facilities. The planned works also include accommodation for the scenes of crime unit. An Garda Síochána is committed to providing suitable accommodation for all its operations, including those in Sligo, and is working in conjunction with the OPW to achieve this.
We are well aware of the changes that have happened, that a new Garda division has been set up and that there is a new headquarters in Letterkenny. That does not change the fact the building in Sligo is not fit for purpose. That has long been the case. The Minister spoke of refurbishments being carried out. It is simply a squandering of taxpayers' money to do work continually on a building that is not fit for purpose. This kind of thing goes on in many Departments, not just the Department of Justice. The cleanest and simplest thing to do is to get a site on the edge of the town and build a proper Garda station. That is what should have happened in the very beginning and it is still not too late to do that.
While I appreciate that the Minister can say it is an issue for the Garda Commissioner, the fact of the matter is the Government has control of how much funding will be provided for the building of new Garda stations around the country. The Minister needs to provide the money to ensure that a proper Garda station is put in place to service the people of Sligo and the wider region.
The Deputy knows the history of the site. As I said, An Garda Síochána has invested and continues to invest significant funding in refurbishing the Garda station in Sligo. This includes the provision of new locker facilities and the complete upgrade of the three floors in the building, including the public office. Further upgrade works are under way, including the provision of a new cell block to allow for additional capacity and improved custody management facilities. The planned works include accommodation for the scenes of crime unit.
On Garda numbers, as of 31 May, there were 302 gardaí and 45 Garda staff assigned to the Sligo-Leitrim division. This represents an increase since December 2015, when 294 gardaí and 27 Garda staff were assigned to the division.
Work has taken place on the building. A site was initially bought and that transfer did not happen.
Sometimes I think the Minister must be a civil servant's dream. She comes in here and reads out the answer and then when I ask her the next question, she reads out the same thing again. That is not answering the question. Is the Government prepared to put the funding in place to provide an adequate Garda station in Sligo town for the people of that region? It has long been said that the Garda station that is there is not fit for purpose.
The Minister mentioned that a site was purchased. There was a site purchased and there was a plan to build a Garda station. That plan needs to be reactivated by the Minister. I ask her not to come back to me reading out the same stuff she told me in the beginning. The fact is that we need to get a proper Garda station put in place in Sligo town for the people of that region and for the gardaí who work out of that station because the facilities they have are totally inappropriate. That is the reality and the Minister knows it. Rather than continuing with a rehash of the same stuff over and over, we need to get down to brass tacks and provide for people's needs.
The Deputy should listen to the answer when I am giving it to him but he is not listening to me.
It is not an answer.
The fact is that the Garda Commissioner has responsibility for Garda accommodation. We provide the budget of almost €2 billion to An Garda Síochána and it is up to the Commissioner to decide the various investments and priorities across the country.
On this Garda station, a site was bought and it was decided not to move there. Instead, the existing building is being renovated and I understand that works are proposed to develop the remainder of the station. These works are being assessed between Garda estate management, local management and the Office of Public Works. As the scope of this work has not yet been finalised, we are not in a position to provide timelines or costs but there is continuous and ongoing improvement of the building.