Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil brought forward a very similar motion in November 2017. While it was passed by the House, unfortunately, little has changed. As such, I wish the Independent Alliance better luck than we had.

Many of us have stood up in the Chamber time after time to highlight the decimation of rural Ireland. The social aspect of rural living has been eroded in many places and, unfortunately, replaced with fear. This is due in part to the closure of 139 Garda stations and a lack of resources which have left the countryside wide open to criminal activity.

I ask the Minister for an update on the reopening of the Garda station in Ballinspittle. It has been promised for a while by the Minister and I ask him to provide a date for its reopening.

Local communities are so disheartened they have set up their own anti-crime community groups. My colleagues have highlighted many aspects the of rural crime problem. In my short slot I will focus on CCTV systems giving an example of the disparity facing towns and villages in my constituency of Cork South West. There were attempts to break into many properties on an estate in Dunmanway on Saturday night last at 4 a.m. If two men returning from work had not entered the estate and disrupted four criminals, many houses would have been burgled and many cars stolen. Having spoken to gardaí who checked the CCTV footage, the car used in the criminal act was identified. That is how the system should work. However, many other towns and villages, including Bandon, my home town, have been waiting for years for the provision of CCTV systems. What is more annoying is the fact that only €430,000 of the €2 million allocated has been spent on CCTV systems to date. In Cork South West 27 applications have been submitted, of which seven have yet to be given the go-ahead. Will the Minister advise why there is a hold up? Surely, there is an allocation of funds such that all applications should be sanctioned. Rural Ireland is being destroyed at a social level and people must now be content with basic safety. They deserve to feel comfortable and safe in their homes.

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