Lorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Commissioner, Mr. Drew Harris and his colleagues for coming before us today. I wish to raise the issue of the reopening of Rush Garda station, which was announced two and a half years ago, following a review of the closure of Garda stations by the previous Government. It was one of a number of Garda stations where the proposed reopening was announced two and a half years ago. I have been raising the issue constantly at this committee and in the Seanad because for a long time there was no progress in respect of the actual reopening of the station and there was no information on it coming through to the local community.

Rush, north County Dublin has a population of more than 10,000 people and is located in the fastest growing part of the country. Dublin Airport is not far from Rush and the M1 motorway adjoins it. It was eventually announced that the Garda station would need to be refurbished substantially before it could be opened. This refurbishment has been ongoing throughout the summer and in July I wrote to the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW to see when the work of refurbishment would be finished and the station would open. I was told by the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran that it would be handed to An Garda Síochána at the end of September. Has Mr. Harris had any correspondence from the OPW on the handover of the station at the end of September?