Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

There must have been some rationale for reopening Stepaside Garda station. If not, a political decision was made to open a particular Garda station. If there was such a rationale, even for Stepaside Garda station, let us see what it was.

We were informed by the Garda that the increase in Garda numbers will create a problem in respect of accommodating new members of the force. Some form of work planning framework must be in place to determine what accommodation will be needed in circumstances in which the workforce is expanding. Some of the new staff will be civilians. We could end up in a position where, having sold properties, the Garda will subsequently have to buy similar properties. It is not only an issue of what happened in the past. It is about future-proofing to prevent a waste of public money.