David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their contributions tonight. Protecting our people and our communities is a fundamental responsibility of government and one which we take extremely seriously. It is clear that this subject resonates very strongly with Members of the House. My colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, has highlighted some of the excellent work of An Garda Síochána in tackling rural crime, along with the huge unprecedented resources allocated to the Commissioner, €1.76 billion for this year alone; the ongoing recruitment and redeployment of gardaí and the significant new legislative provisions that help gardaí to fight crime and put criminals behind bars.

Some commentators have suggested that not all crime is reported. It is absolutely vital that as elected officials we continue to encourage all citizens to report all instances of criminality to An Garda Síochána. Only then can the crime be properly investigated by the Garda. Also, and just as important, the reports will allow the Garda authorities to identify any new or emerging crime trends affecting a particular community and, where necessary, to allocate Garda resources in order to tackle these problems. It will also inform the Government and this House as we develop policy and legislation. The new Garda Commissioner has been travelling the country engaging with people and he has placed a huge emphasis on protecting the community and ensuring responsive policing. It is important that policing is and continues to be a collaboration between An Garda Síochána and the community it serves.

The programme for Government includes a commitment to support and prioritise community crime prevention, including text alert, which is an example of Garda community collaboration. The Garda text alert scheme provides an additional and effective means for members of the Garda to communicate crime prevention information to local communities. Since it was launched in September 2013, it has grown quickly with a total of 164,000 subscribers and in the order of 3 million text messages sent annually. Every Garda division, rural and urban, now offers the text alert service and An Garda Síochána has published guidelines to assist in the establishment and operation of local groups. At the National Ploughing Championship last September, the Minister for Justice and Equality announced details of the 2018 text alert rebate scheme which was available to over 1,000 local groups registered under the Garda text alerts scheme.

The Department of Justice and Equality committed in the region of €150,000 to local communities that wished to apply for a rebate towards the costs associated with running the local text alert scheme. In 2017, payments made under the rebate scheme almost doubled to €125,000 which was paid out to almost 50 groups.

The proposed motion indicates that just four CCTV grant aid applications have been approved. It is not accurate. In fact, 20 grant applications have been approved to date. By voting this through, the House would be voting something through that is not accurate because 20 grant applications have been approved to date. In furtherance of the commitment in A Programme for a Partnership Government to support investment in CCTV schemes, a grant-aid scheme was launched by the Department of Justice and Equality in 2017 to assist in the establishment of community based CCTV schemes in the local areas. It is intended the scheme would run for three years with funding of €1 million being made available each year. In establishing the grant-aid scheme, the Department consulted broadly, including with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, An Garda Síochána, the Office of the Attorney General and the Local Government Management Agency. The scheme is open to all groups wishing to take advantage of available funding and meeting the longstanding statutory requirements for establishment of CCTV schemes. The Department continues to actively engage with all relevant parties to provide information on the scheme and to reply to any queries that arise.

There has been a lot of misinformation about this scheme but the Data Protection Commissioner has clarified the law and I am pleased that many groups have been successful with their applications. To be clear about this, it is provided in section 38 of the Garda Síochána Act, as amended, and the Garda Síochána (CCTV) order 2006 that the law requires proposed community CCTV schemes to be approved by the local joint policing committee, JPC, have the authorisation of the Garda Commissioner and have the powers to go to the relevant local authority, which must act as data controller in respect of the system. I hope that clarifies that matter.

Regarding criminal legal aid, as the House knows there is a constitutional requirement for criminal legal aid to ensure the right of a fair trial is upheld. It is a fundamental principle of law that an accused person is entitled to a presumption of innocence when he or she comes before the court and legal representation. Any obstacles to obtaining necessary legal aid which were found to be unreasonable could give a defendant an avenue for appeal or prohibition of the prosecution. The overriding concern is to ensure that no risk arises with regard to prosecution of persons charged with criminal offences before the courts. Criminal legal aid is not popular but it is a necessary facet of a democratic society and a fair and just legal system. In a demand-led system it is difficult to predict or reduce expenditure. The more successful gardaí are in bringing accused persons before the criminal courts, the more likely there will be an increased demand for criminal legal aid. The Department is currently preparing a draft scheme of a criminal justice (legal aid) Bill. Commitments contained in the programme for Government will be addressed in the general scheme, including the introduction of a contribution system, the introduction of more rigorous and effective means testing and provision for increased sanctions for false declarations of income. We are looking at that as well.

Regarding Garda station reopenings, the programme for Government commits to a pilot scheme to reopen six Garda stations both urban and rural, to determine possible positive impacts that such openings will have on criminal activity, with special emphasis on burglaries, theft and public order. The Garda Commissioner's final report on the matter, which is available on the Department of Justice and Equality website, recommends that Ballinspittle Garda station be reopened along with stations in Bawnboy in County Cavan, Donard in County Wicklow, Leighlinbridge in County Carlow and Rush and Stepaside in County Dublin. I am told the one in Ballinspittle will be completed in quarter two of 2019. That is some information for the House. The OPW has responsibility for the provision and maintenance of Garda accommodation. The Garda authorities are continuing to engage with the OPW with regard to design, planning, where required, and procurement of the works required to permit the reopening of these buildings as operational Garda stations. As the works required are different at each of the six former stations, it can be expected they will reopen at different times. The works required at Donard station have been completed already and the building has been handed over to An Garda Síochána by the OPW. Implementation of the programme and the reopening of the five remaining stations is being pursued as a priority. I have already addressed one of them. The OPW expects works to be completed in each case in 2019.

We will monitor the outcome of the pilot scheme because it is important to stress the presence of a Garda station is not necessarily the most effective way to deter criminals. Modern policing operations are far more sophisticated and the Garda Commissioner is best placed to determine where resources should be deployed to combat crime and protect the community.

Mention has been made of resources and €342 million is being provided for ICT between 2016 and 2021. There is a €60 million Garda building and refurbishment programme. There is €46 million being provided for the Garda fleet from 2016 to 2021. Many resources are being made available.

The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, mentioned in his speech earlier that all Garda activities, including community policing, will benefit significantly from the financial resources provided in recent budgets. As well as that, there is a huge injection of personnel coming on stream through the Garda recruitment and redeployment programmes. The Government's commitment to substantially increase Garda numbers will ensure An Garda Síochána has the capacity to address the needs of communities throughout the country, now and into the future. The Government will continue to offer our unwavering support to An Garda Síochána in is fight against crime. I expect and know every Member of the House will so the same. We will continue to place community safety at the heart of our work in the Department of Justice and Equality.

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