Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Can the Taoiseach set out the membership of the committee? In respect of the committee's terms of reference, the former committee looked in particular at the two reform proposals from the Garda Síochána Inspectorate which were not only very comprehensive but very critical of the current structure of An Garda Síochána. They looked at the way the force was deployed, the way resources were deployed, its mechanism for following through on investigations and its information relating to the time for investigation of every particular type of crime in each division. Will the inspectorate reports remain the basis for the reform agenda to be delivered by the Cabinet sub-committee?

My next question concerns the plan of the Garda Commissioner.

Is that the plan that is being implemented? Is it being implemented in tandem with the Inspectorate reform, or how are the two being co-ordinated? In terms of investment, would the Taoiseach agree with me that one of the most critical issues for An Garda Síochána has been the lack of proper IT infrastructure? That is why the previous administration allocated more than €200 million to upgrade IT. Will the Taoiseach set out for the House where we are on the roll-out of that significant upgrade of PULSE and the timeline for its delivery across the country?

In terms of what might be described as local political interference, with individual Garda stations that were closed but that are in the constituencies of members or supporters of the Government are now, as part of the new Government agreement, to be reopened, on what basis are objective decisions being taken about the deployment of An Garda Síochána and the structure of Garda stations across the country?

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