Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

Does the Minister accept the present walkie-talkie system is over 20 years old? Does he accept the pilot scheme to which he referred was completed over three years ago? Does he accept the Garda Commissioner submitted the business plan and the case almost two years ago? Does he accept that when I raised this issue as a matter of urgency a year ago, he told me a tender was to issue to the marketplace to be finalised in the new year?

Does he accept that as of now, the hands of gardaí are tied from the point of view of their fight against crime because of an utterly out-of-date communications system and that their only way of communicating in many instances is by using their own private mobile telephones where there is coverage? Does he accept that this issue was strongly pressed by the Garda Representative Association, GRA, recently when it said the current radio system was in a decrepit condition, on the verge of total collapse and that the members of the Garda Síochána were utterly hampered in their fight against crime because of the delays in installing this modern, up-to-date system? I agree the system should be installed but there is no excuse for the incredible delay.

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