Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

First and foremost, it is Sinn Féin's great desire to see these Garda stations reopened. If the review has determined, however, that some stations will not reopen and will be sold - we have seen sales take place in the past - I welcome the Minister of State's comment concerning transferring ownership to the local authorities for community use. That would be very beneficial. Regarding No. 15 on the list, the building in Cloghan, Donegal Mountain Rescue, a local community organisation, has expressed interest in using that as a base. It provides lifesaving services to people in Donegal and neighbouring counties, in conjunction with mountain rescues groups in those areas. Donegal Mountain Rescue does not have a base and that raises health and safety questions because its equipment has to be checked. It is very difficult for the organisation to do that at the moment. If a decision has been taken to not reopen Cloghan Garda station, consideration should be given to its use by Donegal Mountain Rescue, given the buildings central location in the area where the group operates. During the Minister of State's visit to Donegal, I suggest he accompany us on a visit to Donegal Mountain Rescue, look at the premises in Cloghan and consider the potential future use for it.