Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

There is no specific Cabinet sub-committee on the area of justice. However, the Minister for Justice and Equality reports to Cabinet on a regular basis. He is in regular contact with the Garda Commissioner and with the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. I deplore any attack, provoked or unprovoked, on anybody in the country, and we have seen too many of these attacks over the years. In recent days there have been a further number of tragic incidents and I share the Deputy's views on such situations. However, the changed rosters that have been introduced in respect of Garda activity are very beneficial for communities. I meet people from all over the country who recognise the impact of those changes.

I agree there are difficult decisions to be made in respect of the closure of a number of Garda stations. When I speak to communities, whether in towns or the country, what people want is visibility, a connection and access to gardaí when they need them. In many cases, having a garda sit for two hours in a decrepit building in the back end of somewhere is less beneficial than having gardaí move about a community actively and visibly where people can have access to them. The changed rosters introduced for gardaí in that regard are valuable. There is an issue with regard to capital allocation in respect of the fleet and the provision of vehicles for gardaí to do their job. There are requirements for vehicles to be replaced after a certain mileage. The Minister for Justice and Equality and the Garda Commissioner will address the capital requirement as part of their budgetary process. There is no specific Cabinet sub-committee on justice, but the Minister reports regularly to Cabinet on issues as they arise.

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