asked the Minister for Justice if there is any likelihood that the Garda station at Ballybrittas, County Laois, is about to be closed down; if so, if he will take steps to prevent this as it is a busy station in an extensive Garda district, has served the locality efficiently, is the only station on the main road between Kildare and Mountrath in the direction of Limerick and its closure would be contrary to the wishes of the people in the locality.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ballybrittas (Laois) Garda Station.
40.
As a result of a general review of the organisation of the force that is still proceeding, the commissioner has advised that, without loss of police efficiency, better use could be made of the man-power at his disposal by the closing or reduction of a number of stations. Ballybrittas was one of these centres and the station there will be closed on 31st March.
The area will be effectively supervised from the surrounding stations at Monasterevan, Portlaoise, Mountmellick, Portarlington and Stradbally.
As the Minister is probably aware, there is grave dissatisfaction among people in smaller areas about Garda stations being closed down. This Garda station is on the main road and it is an essential one in the opinion of the people in the locality. I would ask the Minister to reconsider the closure of this station.
I do not appreciate the special virtue of any Garda station being situated on the main Dublin road as a reason for its retention. There is another Garda station within four miles of it. The question would suggest that there are no Garda stations on the main road between Kildare and Mountrath; in fact there are two, but if the questioner thinks that is not so because one of them is 400 yards and the other 800 yards away from the main road I suppose he is technically correct. There is a population of 1,600 here and the average number of accidents is five and, therefore, the commissioner considered in his wisdom that it could be effectively policed from the station within four miles of it.