Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this Bill. I also welcome the Minister's announcement yesterday that he has received sanction from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to begin the process of recruiting to the full-time Garda Síochána force. This will mean that 2014 will be the first time in almost five years that a new class of students will enter the Garda college. This is a positive development and is a clear indication that despite the difficult economic climate that we are facing, the Government is committed to ensuring that we have adequate staff numbers in the Garda.

Returning to the Bill before us, I note that its main provision is to establish a Garda Síochána independent board, with general oversight of An Garda Síochána, removing existing functions from the Minister and the Government. I understand the objective behind this transfer of functions is to strengthen the democratic accountability of An Garda Síochána which would, in turn, apparently help to promote public confidence in the force.

On that point, I have absolute confidence in our Garda force. I know the vast majority of gardaí work extremely hard for their local community and are held in very high esteem in the areas in which they serve.

Under this Bill, it is proposed that the Garda Commissioner would have regard to the recommendations of the independent board. This would seem to indicate a lack of trust or confidence in the commissioner to do his job. The appointment of the commissioner is based on his or her ability to do the job, not on personalities, and that is how it should be. To be a commissioner one needs to have experience and a strong knowledge of the Garda Síochána in order to do what is an extremely demanding job.

This Bill will not improve the accountability of the Garda Síochána. The Garda Commissioner is accountable to the Minister who, in turn, is accountable to the House.

During the election campaign in 2011 one of the key messages we heard on the doorsteps was that nobody is accountable. I, for one, believe that Ministers should be accountable and the buck should stop with the Minister. We have a Minister who is accountable but this Bill is abdicating and absolving the Minister from his accountability. I do not agree with that. Ministers should be accountable and the current Minister, Deputy Shatter, is a very capable Minister who does not shy away from his responsibilities or hide behind unelected bodies. A perfect example that springs to mind of what we do not want is Mary Harney and the HSE.

On the issue of creating greater accountability in the Garda Síochána, it is important to point out that we have the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. It is empowered to carry out independent investigations into Garda conduct and has far-reaching powers. We also have the Garda Síochána Inspectorate which provides expert advice on achieving best practice in policing services. There is also accountability at local level through the joint policing committees which are made up of elected members and local community representatives. I sit on the County Monaghan JPC and I find it a very effective body. I make every effort to attend those meetings.

At the JPC meetings issues are raised, policing needs of the district are identified and implemented, and policing plans are prepared through consultation with JPC members. This is a practical and accountable way of doing business.

I want to acknowledge the success of Operation Fiacla, which is an intelligence-driven specific burglary initiative implemented at regional level. The fact that over 5,000 people have been arrested and almost 3,000 charged is an indication of its success.

It is important to remember that policing is not just for urban areas; it is also for country areas. Unfortunately, a lot of machinery and cattle have been stolen from farmers in my area of north County Monaghan. While I acknowledge the excellent co-operation between the PSNI and the Garda Síochána, our close proximity to the Border presents further difficulties in trying to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The most recent difficulty in this respect is that thieves are stealing copper from telephone lines which causes major problems in rural areas where the telephone is often the only means of communication, particularly for the elderly. I urge the Minister to ensure that increased resources are made available, specifically to tackle problem areas such as north Monaghan, in order to stamp out such activity once and for all.

Since the foundation of the State, the history of the Garda Síochána has been a good one. There are safeguards in place to ensure accountability and, therefore, I will not be supporting this Bill.

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