Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me raise this matter on the Adjournment. I also thank the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for being present to respond to me on a matter of serious concern to the personnel in Castleisland Garda station and to the people of the town.

I have already raised the issue of the long-awaited purchase of a site for the provision of a new Garda station in Castleisland several times in this Chamber. This is the third time I have raised the issue on the Adjournment. Recently, in the town of Castleisland, there have been some serious incidents. Examples of the type of violent crime that has occurred include a stabbing incident and an assault on a garda that left him with a broken nose.

Local media have highlighted the seriousness of the situation through articles on public disorder. The issue is of major concern to the people of the town yet despite the level of concern the gardaí continue to operate out of seriously sub-standard rented accommodation on Church Street. The dire working conditions in the makeshift station affect the morale of the Garda personnel based there. Two sergeants and eight gardaí operate out of the building. The facility is seriously cramped and has no parking facilities. It has no changing rooms or showers for the officers. It has only one toilet, used by the gardaí and members of the public alike. The building has no private interview room, the reception area is completely open and as a result, privacy and confidentiality cannot be offered to members of the public who call to the gardaí.

Not only is this accommodation entirely unsuitable for the officers in question, but it is bound to deter members of the public from reporting crime. To compound these problems, gardaí do not have the use of a holding cell in the building. Frequently, this creates a ludicrous situation whereby gardaí must make a one and a half hour round trip to Killarney Garda station for the use of a holding cell whenever they make an arrest. During the time it takes them to travel to and from Killarney, the town of Castleisland is left unprotected and without a Garda presence.

On 25 February of this year, the district committee of the Garda Representative Association warned the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform that the personnel based in Castleisland would abandon their current accommodation and operate out of Killarney Garda station by 1 July if a site for a new station in Castleisland is not purchased by that time. Nobody wants to reach that point but the gardaí feel they may have no alternative. It is almost unimaginable that a town the size of Castleisland could be left without a resident Garda presence due to the Government's negligence. Such a move would strike fear in the hearts and minds of those in Castleisland who need Garda protection and it would be a clear case of the Government failing in its duty to protect its citizens.

This disgraceful saga has dragged on for many years, with little or no progress. One delaying factor is the unavailability of a reasonably priced site. The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Tom Parlon, informed me today, in a written answer to a parliamentary question, that the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has confirmed the suitability of a proposed site and the Office of Public Works is preparing a valuation report on the site. The answer also stated that negotiations with the owner of the site would commence when the report has been completed and that the Commissioners of Public Works hope to be in a position to make an offer to purchase the site soon.

While I welcome any development that would lead to the building of the station, I hope this is not another cynical stalling tactic. Has the Minister considered what will happen if the owner of the site seeks more for the property than the price in the valuation report? Recently, as part of the Government's decentralisation programme, €4.5 million of taxpayers' money was spent in Killarney to secure the relocation of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Like Killarney, Castleisland is a busy and progressive town. Property in and around the town is at a premium and over the past four years, the value of some property had doubled. Four years ago the Commissioners of Public Works rejected an ideally located site for the new station in the centre of Castleisland.

I am determined to make sure this scandalous situation does not drag on for another four years. Were that to happen, apart from the obvious difficulties this would present to the Garda, procrastination on the purchase of a site would increase the cost burden on the taxpayer. The people of Castleisland need a new Garda station. The gardaí cannot be expected to continue to operate under the current arrangement and I commend them on the great job they do in extremely difficult and trying circumstances. In the context of the agreed priority list, the need for a new Garda station in Castleisland must be treated as an urgent priority and this should have been the case since the original station was subjected to an arson attack on 3 March 2001.

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