Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for his reply. I accept that it was a decision of the previous Government to agree to the reduction of the targets but that was done on the basis of record investment in Garda numbers by that Government over a long number of years, and that was the reason there are 14,100 today. During the 1980s when the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, was Minister for Justice, and during the 1990s when former Deputy Nora Owen was Minister, Garda stations were kept open with a force that was considerably lower than even 13,000, which is where we will end up at. I regret that the Minister cannot give us a guarantee that there will be no closures.

There were reports in yesterday's newspapers that in Donegal alone, 24 stations will close and Deputy McConalogue's constituents want to know what will happen to them. How can the Minister state that the closure of 24 stations in one county will make for more efficient policing? Is he expecting the gardaí in the 24 stations to spend all of their time on patrol? If they do, they will be running into each other often, not catching crime. The most important deterrent is, I agree, the availability of gardaí, but it is also the visibility of gardaí.

Has the Minister - I do not expect him to release the report because I understand that involves operational issues - met with the AGSI or the GRA on this proposal? Can he give us the broad outlines, without naming specific stations, on a county-by-county basis as to where these stations have been identified or will close? Does he intend to seek the input of, or some feedback from, the Oireachtas on the Commissioner's report?

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