John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)

Fine Gael welcomes this important Bill but has some questions and concerns. A particular concern is the role of the Accounting Officer. The Secretary General of the Department is the Accounting Officer, but under this Bill it will be the Garda Commissioner. Value for money is important, as I know from my experience as Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts. The difficulty for Mr. Dalton was that he had so many different areas of responsibility and it was difficult to deal responsibly with Garda expenditure when he was not the person wholly accountable.

The remit of accounting for the significant expenditure within the Garda and ensuring we get effective value for money is a most important responsibility for the Garda Commissioner, not alone from the point of view of services and the pay element, but from the point of view of investment in Garda stations and cars and the critical investments needed for victims of crime and other associated costs. In essence the Garda Commissioner must be concerned with value for the taxpayer. He will no doubt focus on getting the proper methodology in place in his office so that there will be total accountability with regard to the expenditure of taxpayers' money in the delivery of an effective service throughout the State. This is something that is very much needed. It was very much lacking within the Department because the Accounting Officer's responsibilities are so wide and include the Prison Service, child care and so on. The Accounting Officer will deal solely with the Garda and this will be ring-fenced. The accounts will be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Accounting Officer will appear before the Committee of Public Accounts, which is welcome.

Section 14 provides for the appointment of volunteer members to the force but it is vague and ambiguous. However, the Minister recently announced that the volunteer force will comprise 1,400 members and, more significantly, while the volunteers will not receive the same two-year training course as members of the Garda, they will have the same powers. This is extraordinary. While I support the creation of such a force, volunteers should not have the same powers, given the responsibilities involved. The standard of training and qualifications of gardaí in Templemore is high. For example, volunteers will be expected to prepare files for court and to be well versed in the cases to obtain prosecutions. Will the Minister explain his thinking in this regard?

The recruitment of volunteers will be difficult. I am the chairman of a voluntary company which deals with people on FÁS schemes. It is extremely difficult to get people to participate in such schemes, even though they are paid to do so. However, volunteers will be expected to take on a dangerous job without payment. It is hard to believe people will volunteer, unless significant expenses are offered. This does not stack up.

However, the Minister has missed a significant opportunity. Up to 3,000 gardaí have retired in recent years having reached the age of 50 and served in the force for 30 years. They could have served until they were 57 years. They are entitled to a gratuity, which they do not receive until they reach 57 years, but the Minister could pay them after 30 years service and then re-employ them on seven-year contracts. Experience cannot be beaten. If these retired gardaí could access their gratuities, the Garda could re-invest in their experience and re-employ them. This, in turn, would free younger gardaí from desk work to go on the beat. The retired gardaí could man stations on day shift contracts and do much of the clerical work, given their vast expertise. It is not too late to do this and the Minister should examine this issue. These gardaí could be given a special rank and a long service increment.

Garda confidentiality is also an issue. How will volunteers be screened to ensure the confidentiality of Garda operations, the PULSE system and so on? The proposal on the volunteer force has not been fully thought out. Only a few masochists would volunteer to do a dangerous job and work with the Garda and the legal profession. Perhaps I will be proved incorrect. However, the Minister has lost an opportunity to hire experienced personnel who leave the force when they are 50 and who usually take up jobs with security firms and so on.

I am concerned that a number of sections in the Bill will turn the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform into the chief of police. He or she will have a substantial role in directing the Garda. All substantive aspects of policing matters must, first, be approved by the Minister. For example, the Minister may set Garda priorities under section 19; the Garda strategy statement must be submitted to him or her for approval under section 20; the annual policing plan must be submitted to the Minister for approval; and, perhaps, most significantly, the Minister can issue directives to the Garda under section 22. The Minister is giving his successors significant powers. Will his desire to control the Garda be matched by a willingness to reply to parliamentary questions about the force when the Bill is enacted? That is a critical issue.

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