I have raised this matter on the Adjournment because of serious acts of violence, particularly the most recent one which occurred at Lifford last week. I had this question down to the Minister before the Christmas recess and because of the large number of questions on the Order Paper it was not reached today. I therefore asked the Chair's permission to raise it on the Adjournment.
I can see a serious situation arising around the Border areas, due to the fact that the Government have accepted the Conroy Report which has reduced the working hours of the gardaí from 48 to 42. The minimum number of hours a garda was required to work before the introduction of the Conroy report was 48, but we all know from personal experience that the gardaí were working anything from 60 to 70 hours, yet the Government have not increased the number of personnel needed to make up the deficit because of the hours now being worked by the gardaí. The Conroy Report also recommended off-time of seven days per 28 days or a four-week month whereas the old regulations allowed two off-days in every calendar month.
We have heard a great deal of talk from the Government about standing idly by on matters that do not affect the everyday life of this country but the Minister for Justice is denying that there is any need to increase the Garda force because he believes that the up-to-date radio communication which the Department of Justice have made available to all gardaí is adequate to deal with the everyday disturbances which occur.
In the Minister's written reply he stated:
I make no secret of the fact that, like every other Minister for Justice before me, I would like to see more gardaí available but, as a member of a Government, I recognise that the resources of the community are limited and that there are many competing demands on the Exchequer. I believe that, in general, the present position in rural areas is not bad but it is my hope that I can improve it.
The Minister is here admitting that because of financial resources he is not prepared to increase the number of gardaí for the maintenance of law and order. The Government are standing idly by while people in Border areas are living on their nerves.
Last Tuesday morning in Lifford the customs post was blown up by, if we are to use our own logic, most likely the UVF. These people came across the Border, blew up the customs post, but they did not go back across the Border because it is too well guarded in the North. Instead they made their way into Donegal and escaped through another route. The Minister has told us that the up-to-date communications are adequate to meet any demands made on the gardaí at this particular time. The last 12 months has been an exciting time for this country. The Minister has told this House that the modern radio communications which he has provided for gardaí are adequate and that it is unnecessary for him to increase the number of personnel in the force. I claim that the present communications equipment is most inadequate and in many cases obsolete and in some cases it is not even in working order.
I should like to relate to the House a story which is common gossip in Donegal which relates to an incident in Derry on 26th August last year when the Munster and Leinster Bank was raided and robbed at 2.50 p.m. The Donegal gardaí from Buncrana were at the Border post at 3 o'clock but the raiders escaped by some other route. The garda had to use a public telephone coin box because of the substandard radio communication equipment he had. The raiders are known to the members of Saor Éire. The car they used was stolen from York Street car park, Dublin that day and it was later found abandoned in a bog outside Buncrana on the same day. Three men walked into a public house in Buncrana at 8 o'clock that evening and one of them was later identified by the publican as being one of the wanted men. Another was known by the gardaí and was wanted in connection with Garda Fallon's murder. His name is O'Donnell.
