Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief. The amendment seeks to remove an obligation placed on the authority to consult specifically with the Commissioner and with the national office for community safety before determining policing priorities and to replace this with a provision which only obliges the authority to consult with such persons as it considers appropriate. It does not appear to me to be unreasonable to require that the proposed new authority consult with the Garda Commissioner before determining the policing priorities, given that An Garda Síochána is obviously a key stakeholder in that matter. Indeed, it would seem to me to be essential. I have no doubt that regardless that the text that is settled on, consultation with the Garda Commissioner will be both prudent and necessary. The addition of the national office for community safety is also appropriate in light of the new authority's role in community safety, and in keeping one of the key messages of the Bill that community safety is not only a matter for An Garda Síochána. It is simply a requirement to consult with the Garda Commissioner, which I would imagine is absolutely going to happen anyway. It would be essential that it would happen, so I am not in a position to accept the amendment.