Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

As the Deputy will be aware, many of the services the Defence Forces and the Garda provided in years gone by did not involve policing matters. They were not required for security or investigative reasons. The services were often provided at the request of communities in circumstances where the State was not in major financial difficulty. In respect of certain events where communities request the presence of members of the armed forces with a vehicle or gardaí to engage in something for decorative reasons but not to do with security, charges are now being levied to cover the expense of attending the events and the salary implications of those events. Where these are matters that I would describe as decorative as opposed to pertaining to everyday policing duties, it is for communities to decide the extent to which they wish to pay for those engagements.

Unfortunately, at times when resources are scarce - the Deputy would criticise me if matters were otherwise - we have to ensure the funding we have received is used by the Garda for important operational reasons.

It is important that the Garda engages with local communities. Careful consideration is given to these matters and the Garda will engage with certain events that do not give rise to expenses and may involve young people. The Garda role might be of a supportive nature in the context of dealing with juveniles or people in communities in which there are troubles and difficulties.

I do not have up-to-date information with regard to the specific event the Deputy mentioned but I will certainly find out the background and communicate with him on it.

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