There are mixed opinions in relation to the closing of Garda stations. The present policy may be a good one, though I personally have not seen very much difference. If the barracks are not required in small rural communities, possibly it is better to centralise the force, though, in the past, I have advocated that that is an unwise step. However, I have more or less an open mind on the matter.
I object to the policy in so far as it entails a reduction in numbers. When we remember that further closings may take place in the future and, at the same time, there will be a reduction in numbers, it is only right that we should have second thoughts in the matter. We all know that, during the emergency and since the emergency, extra duties have been thrown on to the Garda Síochána. They have undertaken these extra duties willingly and they have carried them out efficiently. Despite that extra work, we now find that it is proposed to reduce the numbers rather than increase them. The results of that policy are to be seen everywhere. It is unfortunate that the time of these men in the villages, towns and cities should be taken up with road traffic cases and breaches of the licensing laws. These two items occupy a large percentage of the time of the Gardaí, with the result that there is no time left in which to enforce all the other laws and regulations.
In addition to that, the Gardaí have to help the Department of Social Welfare, the Department of Local Government and the Department of Agriculture. The compilation of statistics for the Department of Agriculture is thrown over on the Gardaí. The filling of forms for the Department of Social Welfare in relation to unemployment benefit and unemployment assistance is thrown over on the Gardaí. Various other duties have fallen upon them. Yet, we find now that the Minister and his Department have adopted a policy of reduction in numbers. That is not as it should be. The numbers should be increased rather than reduced.
When a large number of retirals took place recently, the Department decided to recruit a certain number to fill the vacancies. When the change of Government took place, that number was reduced and young men who did the examination and who expected, from public statements of policy, that a certain number would be required, found, after the lapse of a year, that they would have to sit for another examination all over again. Not alone had they passed the most recent examination, but they came well within the number required. They were notified, however, that not more than 160 would be taken, that they would have to do the examination all over again. Even then, there was not very much hope that they would be successful because the number required this year would be very small.
With regard to those who sat the last exam and especially with regard to those after 160th place and up to 250th place, a grave injustice was done. The least the Minister could do would be to see to it that those who passed should not be required to undergo a further exam. It is fortunate that, of that number, only a very small percentage—I think about nine candidates —will, on the occasion of the next exam, be over the age limit. I maintain that none of them should have to do any exam as, after all, they have already passed and qualified in every way. Subject to the usual medical test, they should be allowed to become members of the Garda Síochána and there should be no cutting down of the force.
I have in mind one thing that is neglected—not through any fault of the Gardaí but just because their other duties are so numerous. School attendance enforcement is practically a dead letter. No Garda barracks can take two or three Gardaí on a particular day and send them out to the schools in the Garda sub-district. It just cannot be done. Some of the schools are situated in remote areas and in most Garda districts there are, say, five or six schools and about an equal number of Gardaí. Therefore, proper school attendance supervision and check-up cannot be carried out, with the result that the enforcement of the School Attendance Acts in most areas is a dead letter. It is not enough for a Garda to go to a school once every six months and take a few cases to court. The fines are very small and it will be another six months before offenders are hauled over the coals again, or possibly longer, which makes a farce of the whole Act.
In order to have the School Attendance Acts enforced properly, it is necessary to have regular visits by the Gardaí to each individual school and a warning to the defaulters. I agree with the Minister's policy that, for trivial offences, it is better to issue warnings than to have prosecutions. In this case, it would be more effective if the Gardaí could visit the school, have a talk with the children and also, perhaps, with the parents. The trouble is that there is no time for that.
Mention has been made of tinkers, and that class, who go around the country in caravans parked here and there. I do not know whether or not we should put them off the roads altogether. There is one feature of it to which I object and the remedy lies in the hands of the Gardaí. When from ten to 20 caravans arrive at a particular place, especially in the summer time and in warm weather, and remain there for anything up to a month, it is a danger to the health of the community and the Gardaí should not allow these people to remain for so long in any place. I am aware that there is an administrative difficulty there. Whereas, I think, it is specified in some of the older Acts that they can park in a place for only 24 hours and that, after that, legally, they must move along, the snag is that they can move 10 yards further down the road and continue to park, which defeats the purpose of the section of the Act. If that is the case I urge an amendment of the provision. I would not just confine them to 24 hours at a particular spot, but I would very much curtail the practice that has grown up among those people of remaining put for as long as a month.
Complaints are made in nearly every district about damage to and destruction of property. The Gardaí find it difficult to bring the culprits to justice and it causes endless headaches in towns and villages and even in country places where such damage is done. While I feel inclined to urge that the Gardaí should be on the alert and should in each district make an example of anyone found carrying out destruction either to private or public property, I am loathe to do that, because I know well that the Gardaí have not the time. The force is so depleted that it is impossible for them to go chasing all over the countryside after people who carry out destruction to private and public property. However, it is a matter which is annoying people in small towns, villages and country districts.
Some time ago, the Minister made statements in connection with the licensing laws. A commission has been set up to go into the whole question of licensing as it exists to-day, but it may take some time before the commission has gone into the matter thoroughly, drawn up a report, submitted it to the Minister who then submits it to the Government after which legislation may be drafted and introduced into this House by way of a Bill. All that will take some time. The fact that this House set up such a commission and gave it certain instructions—as a matter of fact, asked it to go into the whole licensing laws of this State— means that the laws do need overhauling. Nevertheless, because it will take at least up to two years and possibly more before a Licensing Bill is brought in here, I would urge, like Deputy Blaney and other Deputies, that some instructions on the matter should be issued to the Gardaí, the sergeants and the district justices. It is annoying, peculiar, and so on, to find that one cannot have a drink after certain hours in a certain town, but that one can have it three miles away.
A publican does not mind if he has to close at eight o'clock on Sunday or at 10.30 on week-nights if he knows that everybody else, in every town within a radius of 20 miles, has done the same thing. But when he finds himself in court together with a few of his customers he discovers a publican not three miles away breaking his heart laughing at him and pulling his leg because he had not acquired a knowledge of the after-hour trade. There is an after-hour trade in the country and the question is whether there should or should not be. We cannot have a halfway stage because it is unfair to one group of publicans. We should have some definite instructions sent out now, pending legislation. Instructions should also go to the justices, if that is possible—I do not know whether it is or not. Where publicans are brought to court we have variations in penalties. The same variations apply to offenders on the road. The point I am trying to make is that we should have a better adherence to the law and the law should be evenly administered. I am not saying it is unevenly administered through any particular fault of those administering it, but people may say: "Legislation is coming out on this and we will take it easy," or one officer may adopt a certain attitude and another may take quite a different one. It would be as well if we had uniformity on these things.
One thing which I can never understand is why all the traffic regulations are left to the Minister for the Local Government—although he is a Donegal man I am not trying to lessen his burden. I think that it would be reasonable to expect that the drafting of regulations should be a matter for the Minister for Justice, as he is the person who has to enforce them. I suggest that it leads to the point where one Minister can say: "That is not my job" and another can say it is not his job. That means that we do not get uniformity. Now that there is a new Traffic Bill in the offing, I understand, to be introduced by the Minister for Local Government, this would be the time to see that at least the Minister who will be responsible for the carrying out of the regulations made under that Bill will be the person to undertake the drafting of the regulations especially in regard to traffic.
We have a state of chaos here in the matter of traffic. That is not the fault of the Minister or of any of his servants. It is due to the fact that the number of vehicles, especially motor vehicles, has increased very considerably since the war. While we may be worried about the drunken driver and about the other kind of drivers, I am worried particularly about uninsured drivers, people who drive cars which are not covered by insurance. Accidents will happen; they are happening every day and some of them are very serious. How much more serious is it when we find that the culprit has no insurance and that the injured person cannot get any compensation? In some cases compensation is no good because a person may have received an injury for life, but it is the next best thing. Uninsured drivers should be debarred from driving for a lengthy period and if a second offence occurs they should never be issued with a driving licence again. I have known cases where death has resulted where an uninsured vehicle was at fault and untold hardship for the victim resulted.
I would say that part of the trouble is not that the person does not wish to have his vehicle insured but that the insurance companies are putting endless difficulties in the way of motorists. In some cases they are making it practically impossible to have a vehicle insured. They are increasing the premium and charging extra penalties as well. Seeing that these companies, some of which operate from outside the State, are licensed by the Department, we should see that they do not impose prohibitive conditions on the granting of insurance for a vehicle. Such conditions are causing a lot of people to evade insuring their vehicles. In the first place they may not get insurance under any conditions, no matter how much they pay. In the second place there are cases where the insurance is prohibitive. It is well known that there are companies who do not want to engage in motor insurance at all.
I shall conclude on the note on which I began, that for all the extra work which the Gardaí have to do at the moment I would query the Minister's policy of reductions in their numbers. If they are to do all the work that is required of them they will be able to do it efficiently only if they are above their present strength.