John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I find that morale in the force among the members I speak to is at an all-time low. Part of the deal has to be around a futuristic view of rosters and how they operate and doing everything possible on pay and conditions to retain those in the force who want to be in it. They are looking elsewhere because of the pay and conditions. We have to reach out to them. We are not making enough ground on the any of the issues to resolve these problems and they will just recur. When the Commissioner was here, I raised the policing of south Kilkenny and the closure of many barracks, such as those in Windgap, Kilmoganny and Bennettsbridge. With the closure of all those barracks, can a set arrangement be put in place to service those areas? I know people, particularly elderly people, who live in fear because of what is going on in rural Ireland. Will the Minister address that with a policy?

The drug scene down the country - I am sure it is the same as Dublin or anywhere else - is completely out of control. Drugs are being sold from houses and on street corners. They are being peddled everywhere and anywhere. Everyone seems to know who the drug dealer is, who the drug addicts are and where they are on the chain of command, yet nothing is happening, at least nothing to an extent that would instil confidence in the public that we are getting on top of the drugs issue. Earlier, the Commissioner said that a local chief has to make a bid. For God's sake, are we not monitoring what local chiefs are doing so that if they do not have capacity, we give it to them? We should reach out and try to sort it out. We need to cut it off at the source. I have seen so many people devastated by drugs, it is shocking. I do not usually attend this committee, but I am here because of this to ask about policing and drugs.

I am also here to ask about missing persons. The Commissioner was to come back to me about Jo Jo Dullard who went missing on 9 November 1995. The date of the anniversary is approaching again and the case is not resolved.

Does the Minister intend to update the Dáil on the 2018 announcement by the Minister that a civil servant was to be suspended? We now know that civil servant is John Barrett from human resources. It is known publicly. What is the individual case? How will the Minister respond to it? The Dáil was informed about this in 2018.