Martin Kenny
Ceist:1. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice the status of the life sentencing guidelines. [26525/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSentencing Policy
Ceisteanna (1)
Freagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
The first question relates to sentencing guidelines and particularly the matter of life sentences. On page 15 of the Justice Plan 2022, it is indicated the Minister will make proposals to bring changes to law relating to life sentences. I would like an update on that.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The programme for Government contains a broad range of policies and proposals that represent a coherent approach to enhancing and sustaining a more safe and just society. To deliver a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland, we must have a system that has all the necessary tools to ensure that, after due process has been served, the sentence handed down matches the crime. As part of my Department's work programme set out in Justice Plan 2022, there is a commitment to examine reforms on mandatory life sentences for murder. This is with a view to making provision for judges to impose a minimum number of years to be served having regard to the aggravating and mitigating factors in the particular case.
To progress this matter, I will be consulting the Attorney General and other Government colleagues in bringing forward this reform, which will give the public greater confidence that in the most heinous murder cases, judges will have the discretion to set a minimum sentence of 20 or 30 years, or even more, recognising the reality that over the past ten years, many people serving life sentences have been imprisoned for at least 20 years and in some cases considerably longer.
I have asked my Department to look at cases involving offences other than murder, as we know life sentences could be handed down for serious sexual assault, rape and abuse, especially involving children, or in the case of multiple murders. It should not just apply for murder cases and we must ensure that where there are particularly heinous and difficult cases, this would apply to them as well.
The recommendation from the Law Reform Commission's 2013 report will inform this process and I can outline that in a moment. As the Deputy may be aware, a life sentence in Ireland remains applicable even after release from custody, and a breach of parole conditions results in a return to prison. In terms of the timeframe for this work, I hope to be in a position to finalise proposals and bring them to Government in the coming months. I would like to have that done before the summer recess, while acknowledging the huge pressure many of my officials are under with their workload. We would very much like to bring it forward before the end of the summer.
This initiative relating to mandatory life sentences should be seen in the context of the review of my Department's wider programme of prison and penal reform, details of which I plan to publish in the coming months. I can also go into those in further detail.
I was looking at this recently and the issue in particular relates to the especially heinous murders we know of, many of which have made headlines over many years. There are serious cases and in the past we have seen people getting life sentences but being released after 12 years.
It is not that terribly long ago since it was after even less time. It certainly did not equate to life and in some cases it was as low as seven years before people went before the parole board. This is an issue that many people have a problem with, particularly victims and families of victims of very serious crimes. The Minister also mentioned serious sexual assaults and cases of incest. These are very difficult issues of abuse where we need to look seriously at how long the sentences are and provide assurance to victims and families of victims that they are being looked after in how we deal with it. I looked at a number of cases, one of which was that of Adam O'Keeffe, who was convicted of a vicious murder.
It is important to put on the record that the average length of time a life sentence prisoner will serve is approximately 20 years. The length of time before such prisoners can come before the parole board is now 12 years, which has increased from nine years. The period of 20 years acknowledges that people do serve this length of time. For me what is important is not only making sure the sentences match the crime and that we give judges discretion but also the impact this has on victims or their family members or survivors. To know that somebody is even being considered for parole after 12 years when such an horrendous crime is involved can be traumatic and retraumatise victims. Even though it seems like a long time it is not really and we know this. For me this is important. It is done in other jurisdictions. The Law Reform Commission notes that the only completely mandatory sentencing in Ireland is life sentence for murder. It also notes that judges have no discretion here, must impose a life sentence and do not even have the power to suggest a specific minimum sentence, unlike the position in other jurisdictions. For example, in Northern Ireland a judge can recommend a minimum term that must be served. It is about giving this discretion. It is not about telling judges what they should or should not do. It is acknowledging that, on average, people serve 20 years. We should not put undue pressure on victims and victims' families by allowing some people to come before the parole board after the shorter length of 12 years or that a judge would make that decision.
I appreciate that and we are on the same page in respect of this. We remember the Joe O'Reilly case and vicious murder of his wife Rachel. He received a life sentence and he has already been granted access to the parole board. He applied for temporary release in 2021 having served just over 15 years. There are many cases like this. There are particularly difficult cases, such as that of Graham Dwyer, who was convicted of the horrific murder of Elaine O'Hara. He must serve a minimum of 12 years and we can be sure he will not be slow to go before the parole board as is the case with many of these people. We need to have a review. In the review of overall sentencing and how the penal system works I fully agree we have to try to find a process that reforms people who can be reformed and do all of that. We must also look to the victims and families who have gone through the huge torture of losing a loved one or, worse, where people themselves have been the victims of terrible abuse. There has to be proper recourse for them.
There is a balance with restorative justice and making sure we are focused on trying to reform people, particularly where heinous crimes have been committed. At the same time I believe the punishment should match the crime. This is why I want to give greater discretion to judges. We have also seen changes in recent times for burglary. The maximum sentence is 14 years but for aggravated burglary someone can serve up to life in prison. There are also mitigating factors and repeat offenders. In 2015 we saw changes to the Act, including that bail could be refused. The Judicial Council has established a sentencing guidelines committee. Its first area of work will be on sexual assault. Various areas are being looked at with regard to sentencing, while not forgetting we have a reform programme and a penal policy we need to develop. This is about community involvement and engaging with people, acknowledging the fact that approximately 70% of people in prison have mental health or drug or alcohol problems. There are two sides to this. In the most heinous of crimes, judges should have discretion to impose a more severe sentence and make sure victims and families of victims are not put through the trauma of having to deal with something after 12 years, which is a relatively short period of time.
Departmental Funding
Ceisteanna (2)
Gino Kenny
Ceist:2. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if the proceeds of crime fund to support community projects will be a permanent initiative; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26062/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
This centres around the community safety innovation fund the Department announced on 11 April. I want to find out about the longevity of the fund. Will it be directed towards communities affected by crime?
I thank the Deputy for raising the question. As he will be aware, the Department opened applications for the new community safety innovation fund on 11 April. Reflecting the success of An Garda Síochána and the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, in identifying and seizing proceeds from criminal activity, the new fund will use money seized from the proceeds of crime to support investment in innovative community safety projects. The fund, which is expected to grow in the coming years, will have an initial outlay of €2 million for this year and will be subject to a robust evaluation at the end of the first year to inform future decisions. The intention is that bids for further allocations will be part of the normal budgetary process.
It is anticipated that the type of projects which may be supported will include new additional activities not already covered by existing funding streams. These will be intended to tackle crime or reduce the fear of crime, improve community safety, support the creation of safe and resilient communities and reduce reoffending or divert vulnerable individuals away from engagement in criminal behaviour. The fund will ensure that the success of An Garda Síochána and CAB is reflected back into new investments in our communities and on projects that will build strong and safe communities.
Community safety is about people being safe and, just as importantly, feeling safe within their communities. This, of course, goes beyond policing alone. The fund will ensure the best proposals get the funding they need and will encourage the development of innovative ways in which to improve community safety from those people who understand local needs best. The development of innovative ideas will also allow best practice on community safety and youth justice to be shared with other partnerships and communities nationally as new proposals are developed.
The fund is open to bodies involved in community safety and will support them in addressing local needs and opportunities for innovation not provided for through other funds managed by Departments and agencies. The call for applications for the fund runs from 11 April until 8 June 2022 and grants will range from €20,000 to €150,000. An information webinar will be held at 4 p.m. on 30 May to provide information for potential applicants to the scheme. If the Deputy is aware of any suitable projects, I urge him to encourage them to apply for funding. Completed application forms are to be returned by 5 p.m. on 8 June 2022 to a dedicated email address, which is CommunitySafetyInnovationFund@justice.ie. Further information is available on the Department's website.
I welcome this funding from the proceeds of crime and the Criminal Assets Bureau. I can think of many initiatives and projects that could benefit from this funding, particularly in the area I represent, which has been greatly affected by organised crime. The profits largely go unseen by CAB but the community will benefit from an element of them through this fund. From my understanding, there is no correlation between the funding and areas affected by crime. The initiative is welcome. Its precursor was the Dormant Accounts Fund, from which many projects benefited.
I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this very important matter. A good chunk of the Dormant Accounts Fund will go into youth justice this year to help alleviate similar issues. The criteria for this fund are fairly broad and I encourage organisations to apply. The main reason that a project would not qualify for funding is if funding could be obtained from another Department or an organisation is already receiving funding for a similar project. Otherwise the scheme is fairly broad. The amount of funding is expected to increase over the years. The first year of the fund will really be about evaluating the projects. What will be important in this evaluation will be to see and assess whether the communities that most need the funding are getting it. This evaluation will happen at the end of the year once the funding goes out. It will be an important part of the evaluation. The Deputy is correct that the funding is not directed at particular areas but it will be a very important element. We will be very conscious when the funding goes out that it goes to areas that most need the support.
We agree that the best way to tackle the causes of crime is to invest in communities.
I would argue that social deprivation and marginalisation draw people into criminality. It can be very complex. Criminality involving drugs is extremely profitable. With the trappings comes a huge amount of money. There is an echelon who do extremely well out of that and who generally do not live in the communities affected. Communities then feel the effects of that criminality. I do not have time to tease out the reasons. We must adopt a different approach to how we treat people who are drawn into crime. They are not bad people. They are just drawn in by the alternative economy. That economy can be a massive draw, especially in working-class areas. It draws in so many people who should not be there. In an ideal world, the funding of communities should not come from CAB sources. In a better world, where people are not drawn into crime, Government and State agencies would fund projects on their own initiative.
The point the Deputy touches on is correct. Nobody is born a criminal or with criminal inclinations. Young people are often groomed and drawn into crime. The key purpose of the Greentown Project, using evidence-based research, is to tackle the grooming of young people into crime. Money is often used to lure them into criminal activity. That is an important part of our youth justice strategy. The cause of young people getting into crime is also trauma-informed, with them perhaps coming from very difficult backgrounds. It takes a lot of intensive work to help support those young people and redirect them away from criminal activity.
We see this funding as a starting point. It amounts to €2 million and is expected to grow. There will be an evaluation at the end of it to determine how the funding has been used.
Crime Prevention
Ceisteanna (3)
Martin Kenny
Ceist:3. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if she will report on the engagement that her Department has had with the National Rural Safety Forum. [26526/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
I would like to get an indication from the Minister of State on the engagement the Department has had with the National Rural Safety Forum and the work that stems from it. Have there been any initiatives or progress following the meeting of the forum? The last time we raised the issue of rural crime in the House, Tom Niland from County Sligo was in a coma. I am glad to report that he has regained consciousness and is making progress. He is an example of many people living in rural areas who feel very vulnerable. It is important to state that the vast majority of people are safe in our communities but, in many cases, there is an element of vulnerability because they are so isolated. The general public want to see more being done to protect people in our communities.
I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter involving the National Rural Safety Forum. As he will be aware, the purpose of the forum is to develop a nationwide network for the distribution of consistent, highly effective crime prevention advice, increase engagement within communities, and prevent and reduce opportunities for crime.
The forum is co-chaired by Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman and Mr. Brian Rushe, deputy president of the Irish Farmers Association, IFA. My Department is represented at all forum meetings. Other organisations represented on the forum include Muintir na Tíre, Age Friendly Ireland, Foróige, the GAA, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, the Irish Countrywomen’s Association, the County and City Management Association, Active Retirement Ireland, the National Transport Authority, Macra na Feirme, neighbourhood watch, ESB Networks and the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The Deputy may be aware that on 27 April, the forum, supported by the Department of Justice, hosted a national community engagement day for the first time since 2020. It could not be held in previous years because of the pandemic. The day comprised well-publicised meet-and-greet opportunities at more than 300 venues throughout the State where members of the public could engage directly with representatives of An Garda Síochána, IFA branch representatives and other community groups in their area, including receiving crime prevention advice.
People living in rural communities and, indeed, all communities in Ireland deserve to feel and be safe. My hope is that events such as the national community engagement day can nurture the already strong bonds between An Garda Síochána, community representatives and the people they serve. I was delighted to take part in the day and met with Assistant Commissioner Hilman, IFA president Tim Cullinan and members of the public in Counties Wexford, Kildare and Dublin, during the day.
A key pillar of the programme for Government is building stronger and safer communities. As the Deputy is aware, my Department funds a number of initiatives around the country to help build rural safety. In co-ordination with our colleagues in the National Rural Safety Forum, I intend to develop and publish a rural safety action plan this autumn, which will complement the work of the forum and consolidate the many excellent initiatives that are already under way nationally on rural safety and through the National Rural Safety Forum.
I welcome this initiative and the work that has been done, as well as the collaboration with so many rural organisations that represent people in rural communities. At the core of this issue, as I said as the outset, is the fear many people who live in isolated areas have. When they go to a Garda station to get a form signed, they cannot find a garda. It gives them little confidence that they will be able to get a garda when they are in real trouble. There are issues in large geographical areas where there are only one or two patrol cars trying to cover the area. Having gardaí on the ground in rural areas is the most reassuring measure for people. They should also be gardaí whom people know. I recall growing up many years ago, as I am sure the Minister of State does, if you had a bald tyre or a tail light not working, you were afraid you would meet a garda on the road. There is no fear of that happening anymore. It is very seldom that you see gardaí on rural country roads. This is a problem that needs to be addressed. The way to do that is to have the gardaí knitted into and part of the community in order that they are known. People should be reassured that gardaí are there to protect them.
I agree that it is not just about people being safe. People need to feel safe. In a number of the high-profile cases in rural Ireland, the Garda has had a number of real successes. However, we need to get to a point where such incidents are not happening and where people feel protected and safe in their communities. That means targeting those organised groups, many of which rob a number of houses and, unfortunately, carry out heinous acts against very vulnerable people.
The law already treats burglary very seriously. The maximum penalty for burglary is 14 years in prison, and a sentence of up to life imprisonment can be imposed for aggravated burglary. In 2015, the law in this area was further strengthened by the introduction of legislation targeting repeat offenders, including the provision of allowing bail to be denied in appropriate cases. The Act also provides for consecutive sentences for the prolific burglars. The Criminal Justice Act 2007 provides for presumptive minimum sentences for certain repeat offences. The law is very strong in this area. More gardaí were attested last week and, going forward, there will be further attestations in the coming year. An additional 800 gardaí were provided for in last year's budget. The civilianisation of An Garda Síochána continues at pace, which will free up gardaí for other activities.
I am aware of much of that work. I know the aspect of deterrence is important. There are strong sentences in place, but the biggest deterrent of all is having gardaí in a local area where people know them and can see them, and where any stranger coming through the area will see their presence.
Many communities have had to organise initiatives themselves. There have been huge successes with text-alert schemes and community alert in many areas. This is a reflection of the failings of the official structures, that they are not working, and, therefore, people have to come together to do it.
We also need more emphasis on prevention. When criminals drive past a house they are thinking of targeting, if they see that there are cameras, lights on, and an alarm, it certainly deters them. Those kinds of preventative measures need to be put in place. Many people in rural areas cannot afford that. There needs to be consideration of what assistance can be given to help people put those protective measures in place on their properties.
The rural safety forum is a real opportunity for those organisations to come together. Rural Ireland is strongly represented on the forum. Some really good discussions have taken place, from which many good ideas have come. We fund Muintir na Tíre for the text alert system. I know Muintir na Tíre is working on a number of alternative projects as well. We will continue to look at and review any proposals that come forward.
We also have the first pilot local community safety partnerships, three of which have been set up across the country. They are about bringing together the different State agencies to ensure that our communities are kept safe. Keeping our communities safe is not simply about policing and An Garda Síochána. We have to make sure that our communities have those strengths in place, using all the State apparatus to ensure that rural communities are safe and that people feel safe within their homes.
Departmental Priorities
Ceisteanna (4)
Michael Lowry
Ceist:4. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Justice the progress that has been made to date in implementing recommendations of the report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality on reform of the family law system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26527/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
I ask the Minister for an update on the progress to date in implementing the recommendations of the report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality on reform of the family law system. Further, I ask the Minister whether she could or would consider moving the family law court hearings to a dedicated private sitting on a specific day, or to a separate location from the general District Court sittings.
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Delivering family justice more effectively is a priority for me and is a major element of my Justice Plan 2022. The report of the Oireachtas joint committee, to which the Deputy referred, made 38 recommendations across a range of areas in family justice relating to the family court structure; the specialisation and training of professionals, lawyers and judges; resourcing; transparency; and the voice of the child, which is at the centre of everything that we do. Key among these recommendations was the introduction of legislation for the establishment of a dedicated and integrated family court within existing court structures. As the Deputy mentioned, it was not necessarily recommended that we have a completely different court structure, but hubs within the current structure where there would be dedicated family law sitting days. Some would sit in the same court structures and buildings that we have currently, and some would fit into others. However, they would be completely separate, with sittings on specific days.
The programme for Government contains a commitment to enact a family court Bill to create a new dedicated family court or hub within the existing court structure and provide for court procedures that support a faster and less adversarial resolution of disputes in specialised centres. What is really important here is that families deserve time. They are not getting that time at the moment because our District Courts, in particular, are so busy. There might be time at the end of what has been a very difficult and long day for a judge. Families also need continuity. It may be the case that the family turns up and a different judge who has not heard the case before is hearing it and does not have time to go through the details of it. We also need to ensure we have specialist training so that judges who are dealing with people know and understand the different challenges that families are facing. In September 2020, the Government approved the drafting of a family court Bill along the lines of the general scheme, which has been published. Drafting of the Bill is ongoing with a view to publishing it as soon as possible. The intention is that it will be published before the summer recess. We want to get the process moving as quickly as possible. The family court Bill will make provision for the establishment of a family court as divisions within the existing court structures, as I mentioned, providing for a family high court, a circuit family court, and a district family court, each dealing with family law matters as appropriate to its jurisdiction. We want to reduce, as much as possible, the number of cases going to the higher courts. The costs incurred by families are astronomical.
I welcome the fact that the family court Bill will be published before the recess. The Minister has captured the essence of what the problem is. The family law system in Ireland, as it currently stands, is archaic. My difficulty - and the message I get from my constituents - is that those attending their local District Court on family law matters are obliged to sit in the court where there are a multitude of people on a variety of charges, including criminal charges. While the family law cases are heard in private, the very presence of the parties in the court is public. That can be very traumatic for reasons that are quite obvious. The least that people deserve, when they are attending court on a family law matter, is that their case will be heard in private and that they have the privacy required.
I absolutely agree. Unfortunately, when it gets to a court setting, there are situations where the process has most likely become adversarial, and in many cases - although, not always - other avenues, such as mediation, have been tried. Before Covid, people would sit across from one another in tight spaces, and many of them would be waiting all day for their case to be heard. At the end of the day, the case may be adjourned. Therefore, it is really important we have specific sittings, potentially in a different building or room from other court sittings, or on different days or times from other court sittings. That will be provided for specifically in this Bill. We are also engaging with the Courts Service on the operational aspects of the intended approach to the overall family justice strategy. Separate from this legislation, which is specific to the structure of the courts, there is a family justice oversight group that is chaired by a senior official from my own Department. The group has engaged significantly not just with the legal profession, but with family representative groups. There has been special engagement with children through Tusla. We have identified not just the actual physical infrastructure, but the ancillary supports and the type of supports required, including mediation, psychological supports, or even just ensuring that family members can get a cup of tea or food when they are in the courts. All of it needs to be considered to make it as family-friendly as possible.
I thank the Minister. I acknowledge the fact that both the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, are making reforms and are progressive. They have taken a lot of very positive initiatives in the Department to date. I am glad that the Minister has acknowledged that the current system is failing people. The District Courts are overcrowded. It takes an unreasonable amount of time for cases to be heard. Due to this pressure, District Court judges simply do not have the time required to deal with in-depth and sensitive family law cases. We should note that since the amalgamation of smaller local courts into bigger District Courts, the criminal case lists have become unmanageable, despite increased sittings. As we know, family law matters take time. That time is simply not available under the current system. These cases require a separate and dedicated family law court, as the Minister mentioned. In conjunction with this, I ask the Minister to give people greater access to mediation. The service is currently underfunded and unavailable to many people.
On the Deputy's final point, and it is a significant point, we need to make sure that the system is well resourced. We can introduce legislation, but we also need to ensure that the structures and the judges are in place. I believe that in the Deputy's own county recently, a number of sittings had to be cancelled simply because the judge was sick. We need to ensure that through the separate process that is currently under way to look at judicial numbers, the system is resourced in the way that it needs to be. Separate from that, we must ensure it is not all about courts. As I said at the outset, by the time cases get to court, the process is adversarial for many people, and gets even worse. Cases cost people a lot of money, can be delayed and can take a lot of time. The family justice oversight group and its recommendations will place a particular focus on mediation and putting the child at the centre of the process. Obviously, bringing a child to court is very difficult. That, in itself, has implications. It is about trying to do everything we can to prevent cases from getting to the stage where they are heard in court, while acknowledging that we cannot prevent all cases from getting to that stage. The legislation will be important. We must ensure that the legislation is resourced and the courts are identified across the country so that people have equal access, depending on where they are and where they live, so that they do not have to travel too far. We must also ensure that we have enough judges who are trained and who can deliver in this specific area. I thank the Deputy for his question.
An Garda Síochána
Ceisteanna (5)
Richard O'Donoghue
Ceist:5. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice the way that gardaí can be integrated into communities in a way that is visible to the public. [26523/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
I ask the Minister how gardaí can be integrated into our communities in a way that is visible to the public in towns, villages and rural areas in County Limerick and around the country.
I thank the Deputy for raising the question. I assure him that, along with the Government, I am particularly committed to ensuring there is strong, visible policing throughout the country. The budget provided by the Government to the Garda this year is the largest to date, with an allocation of more than €2 billion for 2022. I have just come from an event in the Gresham Hotel to commemorate the establishment of the Civic Guard, which then became An Garda Síochána. The event focused on policing over the 100 years of the organisation. Core to policing from the start, in 1922, to now has been the really strong connection that An Garda Síochána has with our communities. In part, that is because it is an unarmed force. That, in itself, breaks down a lot of barriers. Protecting people and putting them at the centre of the work of An Garda Síochána has created that engagement. I was at the Garda College in Templemore last week, where 102 new members were attested. Prior to that, 156 passed out. Approximately 50 to 60 will pass out in the next few weeks, and as of September, 200 will pass out every 11 weeks. In making sure that gardaí are visible, it is important we ensure there are more gardaí on the beat. We have increased the numbers in the last year or two. We will get to a stage, come September, where every 11 weeks 200 gardaí will be represented and sent right across the country.
Obviously, there are many ways in which they then can do their work. First, it is about ensuring they are spread out across the various communities. That is a role for the Garda Commissioner. It is also about ensuring we have as many gardaí on front-line duties. In recent years, 800 Garda members have been reassigned to front-line duties because there are other gardaí who are coming in and doing work behind the desk and in the office. There is a budget of €147 million. A significant part of that is going into ICT, which allows gardaí to do their job more effectively out on the beat and to engage with people in a different way. Some €12 million has been invested in our Garda fleet, which means more gardaí out in our rural towns and villages.
There has also been investment in bikes in towns and larger villages in order that gardaí can be seen on their bikes as well as patrolling on their feet. That is what people want to see.
In order to get extra people on the ground, we need to tackle the issue where if a garda is on a shift and there is an arrest, whether for antisocial behaviour, a car accident or whatever else, about three hours of that garda's day then turns into paperwork. Those three hours are spent behind doors where he or she is not visible. To counteract that we need more gardaí on the ground. I understand that more people are being trained up and deployed but we need to ensure that they are covered in the towns, villages and rural areas around the county and not per head of population, as within the larger cities. This is because when gardaí are in a local area in a county, they have to travel up to 40 square miles to cover areas themselves and there may be only four or five gardaí on duty, if one is sick or engaged in paperwork.
We need extra gardaí and to double their number in our stations around County Limerick to ensure that we have a police presence at all times, where people are sick or are otherwise engaged with paperwork behind a desk, after having completed their investigations during the day.
The premise of the Deputy's question is how we can have more Garda visibility within our communities. This is number one about ensuring that we have more gardaí and, obviously, the more we have, the more we have in our communities, towns and villages, be it behind the desk, on front-line duties, working in the specialist units that are being developed, economic crime, online fraud, the new types of crimes that are being committed, domestic violence and, obviously, community engagement as well.
There are other ways through which members of the Garda can be even more visible when one thinks about the fact that our Garda stations and teams are also online. I attended my own joint policing committee, JPC, yesterday where our sergeant talked about the Garda's own Facebook presence, how the force is engaging with people on Instagram, how it is communicating what is going on in an area, and how people can contact them. There is a visibility online as well as a physical one in communities with people.
There has been the development of the community safety partnerships, which is an important way in which all members of the community can engage with An Garda Síochána because it is not just our local councillors and representatives in a JPC, but it involves Tusla, our education providers, the HSE, local community groups and organisations, and minority groups. This is a way for people to engage with An Garda Síochána within the communities which, perhaps, has also not existed to date.
I thank the Minister. I appreciate everything done by An Garda Síochána. I see how dangerous the job is, in that 4,000 members of An Garda Síochána were assaulted in the past five years and some 243 members were injured after having been assaulted.
For us in Limerick to have a good Garda service we need a headquarters. I informed the Minister last week that Newcastle West is without its headquarters. We were given a promise when the old station closed down in Newcastle West, with a population of 8,000 people in that area alone, but we have no headquarters now. They are now in two houses in Askeaton, from where a Garda station has been operated. They do fantastic work there and, yes, the members are upskilling through the Internet and so forth, but they need a headquarters. We need a place where our gardaí can have a proper headquarters in order that the appropriate infrastructure is put in place.
I do not have a problem with what the gardaí are doing but have a problem with the infrastructure that is there to support An Garda Síochána. I would greatly appreciate anything that the Minister can do to help us get our Garda station back in Newcastle West.
I agree with the Deputy that we need to protect the gardaí and that when they go about their business and actively put themselves in harm's way to protect us, they need to be supported. We can do that in many ways. We can ensure that they have the stations and the areas to work in appropriately, that they have the technology and equipment they need, that they have the cars and the appropriate training, which the unions have raised with me on quite a few occasions, and in respect of the capital budget which I will be finalising, hopefully, in the coming weeks with the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. This will be a new capital plan which will set out for the coming years what that expenditure looks like, not just in the physical infrastructure but also in the ICT.
There are a number of ways in which we can support members of the Garda to do their job. Supporting the Garda and encouraging more people to apply is reflected in the fact that more than 11,000 people applied in the most recent competition. That was completely fantastic and it will allow us to have that rolling in of 200 people coming out of Templemore every 11 weeks.
What is also great is that about 40% of the applicants are women. The role is becoming more attractive to women even though it is a challenging one.
We also have a much more diverse application profile. People need to see themselves in the gardaí who support and keep their communities safe. The fact that we have much more diversity and many more different backgrounds and that people who were not born in Ireland are now applying is very welcome. That visibility, in itself, encourages people, particularly younger people, to engage with the Garda when they see themselves in the gardaí who serve them.