Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have a couple of points to make to the Minister. His last comments show that he fails to understand rural areas. It is not about the size of the station but about the presence and service it provides. Culdaff, Dunkineely and Doochary are wee villages and do not need a massive Garda station, but they need the service. The service was taken away from them by the Government.

The Minister said it is a question of smart policing. If people could see that the closures of the stations in question led to the presence of more gardaí on the street or a better service, they might be able to accept them. They do not see more, however. Therefore, let us look at the facts.

I have a very simple question for the Minister. I understand that this matter is not entirely under the Minister's watch but he should note that 52 gardaí were taken away from Donegal over the past four years, and three stations have been closed down. Some 200 people turned up at a public meeting in this regard on Saturday evening. The Minister knows as well as I do that it is very difficult to get people to attend public meetings on different issues, yet 200 people in a small rural community decided this issue was important enough to warrant their turning up. The people affected are respected, upstanding members of the community whose car, which was parked outside their house, was petrol-bombed. They did not provoke anybody and the community has rallied around them. The community is asking a simple question, perhaps through me. What does the Minister have to say to the community in Kincasslagh to reassure it that it will be in a better position tomorrow than it was yesterday or the day before? What decisions can the Minister make to ensure the Garda is resourced as much as possible so it can respond to the needs of that community?

I said in my opening statement that we do not expect a garda at every street corner. I appreciate the work of the Garda, be it in rural or urban areas, but I understand from it and others that it is under-resourced and working against tremendous odds because it is not getting the support of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter.

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