Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the briefing. I have a number of questions but I will cut them short because time is limited. I will not asking many of them, which is unfortunate because I found the briefing very interesting.

I will focus on three issues. The first is the reforms taking place in the North regarding the historical investigations, the Troubles and such. The Houses of the Oireachtas has been deeply critical of this decision, and rightly so. How does An Garda Síochána currently handle, in terms of specific units, reviews and procedure of investigations, looking into similar cases in this jurisdiction? This State is not immune from the Troubles in the North and there are many victims and survivors here. How is An Garda Síochána investigating such cases and how does it engage with loved ones of those who have lost a relative? Has there been co-operation from the authorities in the North since the enactment of the legacy Bill? I ask this in the circumstances that the Commission for Victims and Survivors in Belfast recently reported that one in ten people here consider themselves victims, and figures increased in Border counties such as Donegal, Louth and Monaghan as well.

Regarding roads policing, last year, I had the pleasure of being stopped by the PSNI while driving through the North. They were able to see on their unit - I do not know what the unit they used in their car is called - that my car was not insured, but it actually was.

It turned out the Garda has not updated its systems, which talk to the PSNI systems, to tell the PSNI what the problem is here. That was the PSNI's excuse for saying it was not insured. I decided I would ask the local gardaí what the situation is here in the South. They informed me there is a handheld system or a system available that can tell what the data are and so on, but there was only one in the division and if they wanted to use it they would have to book it in advance. That seems bizarre and not a good use of resources. The PSNI system seems to be a good one and should be rolled out across the board. What is the situation with that?

The last issue is the policing of rural areas. I live in a very rural area. There may be two gardaí on duty in the area but they will be on duty in separate stations, so they are on their own. I wonder whether that is a desirable situation and when or if it will be resolved. Quite often, there is not a car available to them either, so they do not have the ability to get out and about. What is the situation with that and how will it be resolved?