Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. This is a very important issue for the people of Sligo, the gardaí who work in this station day and night and me, as a public representative who was elected to represent my constituency. This issue is so serious that I felt I must raise it at the highest level in order to try to seek urgent action so that the situation in Sligo can be alleviated. On this basis, I ask the Minister of State to advise me on the plans, if any, the Garda has in place to address the current unsafe and outdated working environment in the Sligo-Leitrim Garda regional headquarters in Sligo town.

I express to the Minister of State my fears and concerns about the serious health and safety failures in the building and highlight the urgent need to address them. Last month he will have received from me a copy of a report produced by consulting engineers Michael Reilly and Associates which had been commissioned by the Garda Representative Association, GRA, earlier this year to evaluate the overall health and safety problems at the Garda station. Quite simply, the findings made in the report are shocking and raise several issues of serious concern which must and can be addressed from today if there is the will to do so.

The Minister of State will be aware that the report identifies serious health and safety issues which include rodent infestation, ventilation problems, poor heating and dampness, limited and inadequate toilet and shower facilities, leaking toilets, failures in building compliance and fire safety, as well as in HSE health and safety procedures and requirements, hazardous safety issues, cramped public space, limited and outdated cell accommodation and inadequate canteen facilities, a lack of interviewing rooms, the fact that there are no garage facilities and poor office accommodation. The report states: "The existing faculty is far too small, outdated, not fit for purpose and constitutes a totally unacceptable hazard on a number of acute levels from a health and safety perspective alone". In reading the report it is clear to me that gardaí in Sligo are not being given the tools and resources required to do their job effectively. However, there is action which could be taken to help to alleviate the problems in the short term. The report identifies the moving of the regional office at the station and the assistant commissioner's office, which would give some relief and would in the short term address the current overcrowding problem in the regional office that occupies 30% of the facility. This action should be considered by the Minister of State, the OPW and the Garda as a matter of urgency.

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