Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality who, unfortunately, cannot be here, I apologise and thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I will not be able to answer all of the Deputy's questions but I have taken note of them, and those that I cannot answer, I will bring back to the Tánaiste.

The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to her, including regarding Garda stations.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Síochána district and station rationalisation programme gave rise to the closure of some 139 Garda stations in 2012 and 2013, following the completion by An Garda Síochána of a comprehensive review of its district and station network. That review was undertaken with the objective of identifying opportunities to introduce strategic reforms to enhance service delivery, increase efficiency and streamline practices within the organisation. The Tánaiste has been informed by the Garda authorities that the closures have allowed front-line gardaí to be managed and deployed with greater mobility, greater flexibility and in a more focused fashion, particularly with regard to various targeted police operations.

The programme for Government commits the Government to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. A cornerstone of this commitment is the Government plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda Reserve members and 4,000 civilians.

Revisiting the decisions made to close Garda stations at the depths of the recession is also part of that commitment. In this context, the Tánaiste, as the Deputy correctly pointed out, has requested the Garda Commissioner, while fully cognisant of her statutory functions, to identify six stations for re-opening on a pilot basis to determine possible positive impacts that such openings will have on criminal activity, with special emphasis on burglaries, theft and public order. The pilot will feed into the wider review being undertaken by the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, at the request of the Policing Authority, of the dispersal and use of resources available to An Garda Síochána in the delivery of policing services to local communities.

I understand that work is continuing in An Garda Síochána to identify the six stations for inclusion in the pilot - unfortunately, I cannot inform the Deputy of some of the criteria of how they are picked - and that consultations have taken place with relevant stakeholders, including the Policing Authority. I also understand that the Tánaiste expects to receive a report from the Commissioner by the end of May in connection with the exercise.

While I can appreciate that the Deputy would wish that the process was completed sooner, I am sure she will agree that a comprehensive and evidence-based analysis should be carried out, taking account of all the relevant factors, before a final decision is made in respect of the stations to be reopened by the Commissioner. I am sure the residents in Stepaside would agree that such a process is probably extremely important and worthwhile.

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