Mr. John O'Driscoll:

There are precise criteria also for the Policing Authority and the Inspectorate. That is the bigger project, involving substantial historical changes in our design and where boundaries are drawn. The criteria given to the Policing Authority provide that this is to take into account, where it states, "[T]he changing environments in rural, developing urban and suburban areas, the views of local communities; the allocation of Garda resources and their deployment at the local policing level, including the use of the Garda Reserve, Garda facilities and Garda equipment; and relevant recommendations made in previous Inspectorate reports". We do include in our report other criteria that we believe should be taken on board, including the mobility project, areas where there are gatherings of people other than where they reside, such as Dublin Port, Dublin Airport, colleges, holiday resorts and so on and mobile Garda stations. These can all be taken on board in the bigger project.

This is only a pilot project involving six stations. I know from listening to the debate on rural crime a couple of nights ago there were recommendations that maybe all the stations that were closed should be reopened. This is only a pilot. Maybe under an another programme for Government all the stations will be reopened.