Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will conclude this part of the meeting at 10.30 a.m.

No. 2346 is from Mr. Ciaran Dooly, Central Statistics Office, regarding various information we asked for about staffing numbers when he was before us in April, which we will note and publish.

No. 2347 is from Mr. Robert Watt, Secretary General, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, providing further information regarding the gender balance of the health budget oversight group. Mr. Watt provides details of the percentage of female participation at various meetings at Appendix 1. We will note and publish this item.

No. 2354 is from Professor Phillip Nolan, president, Maynooth University, dated 29 July 2019 providing information requested by the committee regarding loan guarantees in respect of a debt that the university had to write off. In fairness, this is a 40 page document so I suggest we hold it over to another day. I have not had an opportunity to read through it. It is too large to discuss today. Is it agreed to hold it over? Agreed.

No. 2373 is from An Garda Síochána dated 5 September 2019 providing information requested by the committee at the meeting on 9 May 2019. There is some interesting information provided. We asked why there was an increase in money for Garda masts and the response is that it was a timing issue in that it did not receive payment in one year and it came through the following year.

Members will be interested in the next note, which is an update on the approximately 14,000 people affected by the fixed charge notices to include the number of people who had lost their licences as a result. Members will recall that an examination of summonses and charges issued between January 2006 and December 2016 identified a significant number of summonses and charges issued for persons who had committed offences, but were brought before the courts incorrectly, which required further examination. I remind Deputies that this is nearly three years old. The letter is detailed. We asked for an update because the fines collected in 12,000 cases had to be repaid. The note states that it has been difficult to track down all of the people affected and that some of the registered letters sent were returned. They were then sent to the divisional offices for delivery but when officers tried to deliver them they found the people were no longer at the addresses. They tried to get their new addresses and are still following up and making inquiries. Three years on, in the cases of the approximately 12,000 people affected, more than 4,000 letters of consent have been received. What they are saying is that they want to go back into court to get the case struck out and the points removed but they need the consent of the persons before they bring their names into court. Of the 12,000 affected, only 4,000 consents have been granted to date. There are a further 8,000 people who got penalty points.

Maybe some of them feel they have expired and they are not interested. Let us be clear about that. They should be able to get to the bottom of it. They are saying that in the absence of the consent from the individual, they cannot do anything about it. They are saying that in respect of the driving licences, no response received from a person affected has indicated to the Garda that they had actually lost their driving licence as a result of the extra penalty points shoving them over the figure. People were on the radio and television stating that was happening. The Garda states it has no proof that that happened.

It is interesting it is taking so long. It is not a good administration system where, three years on, they have not been able to tie down two thirds of the people concerned. It speaks for itself. I want to be fair to the Garda. For many people, perhaps the points are now extinguished and they are not bothered with it anymore.

Details are given of the cost of establishing a cybercrime unit, of the internal affairs unit, and of the training costs for An Garda Síochána. A note is given on prepayments and advance payments of ICT provision.

Details are also given of the collection of insurance premia by the Garda on behalf of insurance companies. It is stated it is for medical insurance – we were worried that this related to cars that were found on the road that were not insured and premia were being collected. It merely seems to be an internal payroll issue. They seem to get a commission from health insurance companies for processing and collecting the premia.

The status of the canine unit is given. It is stated that each handler has responsibility for the care and maintenance of his or her training dog. I had raised this issue that there were nine new ones attached to the dog unit in Kilmainham. Two of these kennels were erected towards the end of 2018 and a further seven require construction. A year on, there are only two of the nine done. Agreement had been reached with Office of Public Works, OPW, to provide the kennels to the remaining seven members of the Garda Síochána. In some cases, they have the dogs in their own back yards at home without proper facilities. That is not the way. These are highly specialised, trained dogs that are of considerable assistance in crime detection. I urge the Garda Síochána to spend the money, do the job, get it over and done with, and look after that area properly.