Tom Brabazon
Question:21. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Taoiseach for an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [14726/25]
View answerTuesday, 29 April 2025
Questions (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
Ivana Bacik
Question:22. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [13745/25]
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Mary Lou McDonald
Question:23. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [15989/25]
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John Lahart
Question:24. Deputy John Lahart asked the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [16777/25]
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Ruairí Ó Murchú
Question:25. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [16859/25]
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Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:26. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach for an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [17097/25]
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Paul Murphy
Question:27. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach for an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [17100/25]
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Emer Currie
Question:28. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [20789/25]
View answerOral answers (20 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 to 28, inclusive, together.
A Policing Service for our Future is the Government's plan to implement the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The implementation of the plan was overseen by a dedicated programme office in the Department of the Taoiseach and an implementation group on policing reform, chaired by an independent person.
This work concluded in 2024 thanks to the achievement of many of the major recommendations outlined in the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing. These achievements were detailed in the publication of the final report of the implementation group. The final report, which can be found on gov.ie, outlines the significant progress, including the roll-out of the operating model for An Garda Síochána, which enables a more visible, responsive and localised policing service to communities nationwide; the conclusion of the three pilot local community safety partnerships in Dublin’s north inner city, Waterford city and Longford, which has informed the national roll-out of these arrangements; the distribution of nearly 15,000 digital communication devices enabling front-line gardaí to perform their duties without returning to stations; the implementation of new human rights structures, strategies and training across the organisation; and the introduction of a three-year Garda health and well-being strategy, which recognises the stresses a garda can face and provides assistance to deal with them. A significant focus of the implementation plan was concerned with strengthening the internal capabilities of An Garda Síochána so that the organisation possesses the capacity to drive future reform.
The new Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 establishes a Garda board to help this process and is complemented by external agencies, such as the Policing and Community Safety Authority and Fiosrú, the reconstituted police ombudsman. Since the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 was signed by the President on 7 February 2024, intensive work was undertaken in the Department of Justice with the legislation now commenced from 2 April 2025. This new coherent governance and oversight framework will ensure effective accountability on the part of individuals and An Garda Síochána as a whole and ultimately drive more effective policing. The Department of Justice will continue to drive this work, with political oversight of justice and security issues more generally continuing through the Cabinet committee on justice, migration and social affairs.
I ask the Taoiseach in respect of policing reform whether reducing paperwork for rank and file members of An Garda Síochána is a priority. I know from interaction with local gardaí, particularly in the Coolock district, which is the second busiest station in the country, that they are burdened with increasing levels of paperwork. Fianna Fáil has pushed over many years for the reduction of the paperwork burden on members of An Garda Síochána in stations so we can get them out onto the streets to provide a visible Garda presence, which operates as a deterrent, on one hand, and a comfort to our citizens on the other.
Having listened to gardaí and having listened in to the Garda Representative Association conference last week, I am concerned we have gone backwards. We have slipped back and an increased level of paperwork is required of members of An Garda Síochána.
There is a serious commitment in the programme for Government to ramp up Garda numbers, which will help, but it is no use if they are all tied up with paperwork. We need to make a big effort. While they need somewhere to base themselves, they also need the paperwork burden lifted from them. That is really important.
It is proposed that a new divisional headquarters to replace Coolock Garda station, which has long outlived its usefulness and which needs to be taken out of commission, be built at Northern Cross.
Both the GRA and the AGSI have raised serious questions about the new Garda operating model. Clearly, that model is undermined by the fact there are far too few gardaí to operate it. That is particularly the case with community gardaí. There were only 700 community gardaí at the end of last year compared with over 1,100 at the end of 2011. The Garda has raised serious issues and must be listened to. It is very regrettable therefore that the Minister for Justice boycotted the GRA annual conference this week. Does the Taoiseach accept that this was a mistake on the part of the Minister? Will he ensure that the Government will work with rank-and-file members of An Garda on an operating model that works for them and for the communities they serve?
This is not the first time I have given out about the divisional structure. I have said many times that I am not sure the most sensible solution was combining Louth and Cavan-Monaghan into one area with a single superintendent. We all get the idea of streamlining, but the issue, as Deputy Carthy said, is that the number of gardaí to operate the system is insufficient. There is a major issue with community gardaí - we do not have enough of them - and with specialists units.
We await the arrival of community safety partnerships. There is huge unease about the fact the joint policing committees, JPCs, are not meeting. An absolute requirement we have is that there be engagement. If someone googles Dundalk and north Louth, they will read about recent violent assaults. I hope the victim of one of these assaults is doing well. We have had contact with members of the child's family, but we need anyone with information to come forward. There were also the recent arson attacks in Doolargy in north County Louth. We need a fit-for-purpose structure and we need engagement on the part of elected representatives and other stakeholders in the context of ensuring that we have a fit-for-purpose operation, which is not currently the case. The local authority will speak about the fact that it is not sure how exactly the community safety partnerships are going to get up and running.
Serious allegations were made about the policing of a protest by Mothers Against Genocide. Since then, TDs like me have been accused of not telling the truth. More seriously, women involved in the protest have been made out to be liars by the Garda Commissioner and by the Minister for Justice. I want to clarify the situation. What does the Taoiseach think about this turn in policing? We were told that the Commissioner reviewed footage and was satisfied there was no wrongdoing. He stated, "Searches of individuals are not subject to CCTV coverage but I'm entirely [confident] there's no wrongdoing." In other words, he could not have reviewed footage because there is no footage. At the AGSI conference, the Minister said that there was no wrongdoing and that he had full faith in the Commissioner. At no time did the Minister talk to anyone from Mothers Against Genocide.
As for the idea that women would leave police stations and lie about being strip-searched or cavity searched, does the Taoiseach know how humiliating an experience like that would be for anyone, male or female? Does he think they would lie about it? Believe women when they say they have been strip-searched. They will make their own complaint. They will carry on with that complaint, and they stand over what they said. I would like the Taoiseach to call out his Minister and the Commissioner for not listening to the two sides of the story.
Does the Taoiseach agree it is completely inappropriate for the Minister for Justice to act separately from an independent process and to make a finding about a complaint by members of the public about how they were treated by gardaí at the Mothers Against Genocide protest. It is quite incredible that the Minister came out and said footage shows that allegations made in the Dáil about strip-searching of protestors "were false". The Minister did not even claim to have seen this footage. He based what he said on reports from the Garda Commissioner. As Deputy Coppinger pointed out, the Commissioner has not seen the footage. In fact, there is no such footage. It is simply a question of the Minister for Justice hearing from the Commissioner that the Garda had investigated itself and - do not worry - found it had done nothing wrong. That is absolutely incredible. Does the Taoiseach agree there needs to be an independent process?
We repeated the stories the women told us. We believe the Mothers Against Genocide. We repeated those stories not just in the Dáil, where there is the question of use of Dáil privilege, but also outside. We are fully free, able and willing to continue to do that. Does the Taoiseach agree that there needs to be an independent process and that the Minister should withdraw this incredible attempt to describe these mothers as liars and allow them to proceed with their complaint to Fiosrú before passing judgment?
I wish to ask about the programme for Government commitment to earmark cost-rental units for key local workers like gardaí, teachers and nurses. We heard it at the GRA conference yesterday and at teacher conferences over Easter - housing is a key recruitment and retention issue. They need to be able to secure affordable accommodation that is accessible to the communities they serve. We already have some cost-rental unit projects in Dublin West and they are proving very popular in Hansfield, Churchfields, Mulhuddart and Hollywoodrath. There is an opportunity here involving a development in Ashtown called Rathborne Wharf that is under construction, with 326 social houses and 399 cost-rental homes funded through CALF and CREEL. It is located right beside the train station and near the Navan Road, with public transport connections all over Dublin West. Allocating 150 of those cost-rental homes to essential workers would be hugely positive and beneficial for the entire community. I have been told that a legal and policy framework is being developed by the Department of housing. Will the Taoiseach provide an update on that commitment and on the timings? Will he reiterate the need for progress and support the inclusion of Rathborne Wharf in the initiative. The homes in question will be ready in 2027.
The new policing model is not working. One of the main aims of the model was to increase community policing. In fact, the opposite has happened. One of the main reasons for that is manpower. The regular units have been depleted. In many stations across Mayo, the regular units are half what they were a number of years ago. Internal competitions are pulling from regular units and, because there are no new recruits to An Garda Síochána in Mayo, for example, there is nobody to replace them. Mayo has received just one new recruit in the past three years. As a result of this, regular units are down to three, four or five members. There are major concerns in Castlebar station, where a unit is at risk of going down to three members as a result of an internal competition. This will cause major difficulties. Westport is already covering for Castlebar. Westport covers a region out to Achill Island. If a call happens in Balla or Castlebar and there is no squad car to attend, maybe because a guard is attending court, the Westport squad car will have to leave Achill and go to Balla. This is happening already. It is going to get worse.
The GRA will be discussing issues around morale, manpower and bureaucracy, but the Minister is not there. He is not there to attend for the second year in a row. This is unacceptable. What will the Taoiseach do to address rural policing, beef up regular units and ensure that we have specialist units?
I thank the Deputy and ask him to conclude.
Go raibh maith agat.
We are out of time, but the Taoiseach may want to give a quick response.
I appreciate that.
On the operational issues, those are matters for the Garda Commissioner. I am not in a position to intervene in the operational organisation of An Garda Síochána. The issues have been there for some time. The Minister is in a very difficult position if the Garda Commissioner has not been invited to the conference as well. His predecessor took the same position and I accept that position, by the way. I think the Garda Commissioner should be invited to the conference - that is my view. I think boycotting the Commissioner and not inviting him was a mistake. There should always be engagement. In that sort of circumstance, the Minister would have no difficulty, or that is my understanding, although I have not spoken to the Minister in relation to this. There is an issue and let us not pretend there is not. There is no one boycotting this, although Opposition Deputies have asserted it is a boycott. It is not that. I think people know what is happening here. There is a better way of doing things, I would respectfully suggest.
In respect of the commentary from Deputy Brabazon, I agree 100% that we need to reduce paperwork and create greater flexibility. We are endeavouring to do that with the rollout of technology and facial recognition, which is very important, and also in terms of greater facilities and resources.
Deputy Ó Murchú referenced the divisional structure. It is an operational decision by the Commissioner. I hear the Deputy’s views in that regard and in terms of the need for the community safety partnerships to be rolled out.
Deputies Coppinger and Murphy again used the phrase “liars”. The Minister never used that phrase about anybody and it is wrong to suggest that the Minister called people “a liar”. He did not.
He said it was false.
I would argue that the gardaí have strenuously denied the allegations that were asserted in this House and issued statements to that effect. The Minister took the allegations very seriously. Of course, it is open for complaints to be made to Fiosrú, which is an independent party that can hear any allegations in respect of An Garda Síochána or members of An Garda Síochána. There are women in An Garda Síochána, Deputy Coppinger.
I am aware of that.
Women in An Garda Síochána have every right to be believed as well. I am not making any comment on individuals here but I would just make that point. There was a strong refutation of the allegations that were made in this House in respect of members of An Garda Síochána, who have no right to defend themselves in this House or do not have that facility.
They were not named.
The Deputy asserted that they committed offences, which they would strenuously deny and the context would be strenuously denied. I have to say that. Fiosrú is there to follow that.
The Minister said they were false.
We are out of time. I ask the Taoiseach to conclude as we are moving on to the next business.