Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)

I acknowledge that the Minister for Justice and Equality is in the Chamber to hear this matter. Up to 200 Garda stations could possibly face closure after this year's budget as the Government seeks to cut funding. The Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, has asked chief superintendents around the country to draw up a list of stations that could be closed as the force prepares for Government cuts to its budget.

I am acutely aware, as every other representative here is, of the impact this could have on my own constituency and County Kerry generally. It is thought that the stations most likely to be closed are those manned by a single Garda officer in rural areas.

In recent years, many rural stations have had considerable resources put into them, including updating and remodelling, to make them suitable for the years ahead. It is unthinkable that those stations may possibly face closure, which would be an awful situation. It will be a further blow to rural Ireland. I am acutely aware of the impact this will have on the ground, particularly to elderly people living in rural locations. The loss of Garda stations is like what happened long ago when the railway tracks were torn up and the trains stopped running. That was a set-back to Ireland and is now readily acknowledged as having been wrong.

County Donegal is expected to see a significant amount of closures with up to 24 stations possibly being earmarked due to the number of small, part-time Garda stations there. There are 240 one-man Garda stations nationwide from a total of over 700. The proposed closures come at a time when the Garda Síochána are on the verge of a significant drop off in numbers. Membership within the force is facing a large fall as the retirement rate increases, combined with the suspension of Garda recruitment. Garda numbers have already fallen by 500 to about 14,000 and an estimated 1,200 members have 30 years of service and are entitled to take early retirement.

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