Alan Farrell (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The establishment of the new independent policing authority is a fundamental part of the Government's justice reform programme and the policing authority will, of course, fulfil a vital role in overseeing the governance and structures of An Garda Síochána and monitoring its performance. The Bill marks a significant reform in the way our justice system works and it is of the utmost importance in ensuring we have a 21st century Garda Síochána and in supporting the Garda in the difficulties it faces on a daily basis. Over recent years, we have seen An Garda Síochána's morale at an all-time low, due primarily to the reduction in Garda numbers when Templemore was closed, but also to more practical issues, such as pay and the investment required across the Garda Síochána station network to ensure the facilities gardaí were working in were up to standard. From the 2010 National Development Plan the budget has been increased across the board by the present Government and I commend the Minister and the Cabinet on doing so.

The policing authority will have important functions in our overall justice system, particularly in terms of overseeing the performance of An Garda Síochána. Providing this level of public oversight of our police force is important to ensure An Garda Síochána works efficiently and that we develop a greater level of accountability in our justice system.

The policing authority will play an important role in recommending persons to the Government for appointment to the roles of Garda Commissioner and Deputy Garda Commissioner, and it will have responsibility for the appointment of persons to the ranks of Garda superintendent, chief superintendent and assistant Commissioner. That is a welcome departure from the usual practice over the last few decades. The policing authority will also have the power to remove these persons from their position for reasons related to policing services.

Furthermore, the policing authority will approve, with the agreement of the Minister, the annual policing plan, which comes before the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality for discussion each year. This is a welcome move as it is important that the public representatives of this House are given the opportunity to quiz the Commissioner on certain aspects of this. I have found the Commissioner's engagement with the committee to be excellent over recent months and I thank her for her constant availability to the committee whenever we have asked her to appear before us. The authority will be responsible for establishing a Garda code of ethics and promoting and supporting the continuous improvement of policing. The independence of the policing authority is of critical importance here. The nine members and the chair will be persons from diverse backgrounds, who will submit themselves through the Public Appointments Service. I welcome this.

A number of recommendations made by the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality were taken up in this process and the policing authority itself will most likely review others once it is established. That is an important part of the development of the authority. I understand that there is a possibility of a review of the establishment after a period of time, which the Minister has mentioned previously. This is important in ensuring we get it right. Having visited Northern Ireland and Scotland with the committee, along with Deputy Finian McGrath, we have seen the difficulties in establishing a new policing authority and how long it takes for it to get to grip with its role. It would be naive for us to assume that such an authority would instantaneously get it right every time, because international examples prove that it takes time, which is to be expected. There are great benefits in that because it is a learning experience for the authority and the expertise brought on board by the membership of the authority will be beneficial both to An Garda Síochána and to the public.

We have spoken about the necessity for Garda reform across the State, but one of the most important aspects of policing in this country is manpower. If we look at the closure of Templemore by the previous Government, its reopening last year and the recruitment of more than 550 Gardaí up to the end of this year, that accelerated recruitment programme is essential if we are to meet the demands of a modern 21st century Ireland. Crime rates are, I hope, plateauing and it is a matter for An Garda Síochána to ensure it uses modern policing techniques to tackle those issues. Our role in this House is to support them by the provision of suitable legislation.

I would particularly like to mention the legislation that will be brought forward to tackle prolific burglars, which I welcome. It is essential that we prevent prolific individuals and roving gangs, which have been mentioned in the papers, from engaging in such activity by ensuring that they face suitable punishment when they are caught. By increasing sentence times and issuing guidance to the judiciary, we will, I hope, dissuade such individuals from continuing in their practices. With regard to the ability of the Garda to tackle such crimes, particularly since many of them are in vehicles, driving around the country on our motorway network and dipping in and out of certain towns, it is essential we provide the Garda with sufficient vehicles to do that. As has been mentioned on a number of occasions, the Government has invested an additional sum of just under €30 million to the provision of more than 370 Garda vehicles this year. That is an essential component of providing gardaí with the level of equipment they require. There are also other issues, such as technology, including the Garda database, PULSE. We must ensure we sufficiently fund that so that it can meet the demands of An Garda Síochána.

I mentioned earlier the legislation regarding burglars. That will impose consecutive jail sentences and will also allow the court to refuse bail in cases where the offender has a previous conviction for domestic burglary with two or more pending charges.

I am pleased that the Government is now in a position to establish the policing authority, which will fulfil an essential role in policing in Ireland. However, this is only one aspect of the justice reforms and supports being implemented by this Government, and is being strengthened by the introduction of further legislation, continued recruitment and greater resourcing to support the hard­working men and women of An Garda Síochána in their daily duties.

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