Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As we were told at a meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts, An Garda Síochána is preparing a series of actions to address the non-surrender of licences, which, we have been told, will cover enforcement and public awareness. The Minister for Justice and Equality asked that a Garda report be provided on the matter. Is the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport involved in that? Is a collaborative report being done to ensure there will be a programme of action in that regard as soon as possible? As the Minister will know, part of the problem is that, due to the impact of the economic policies of the Government and the previous Government, only 704 members of An Garda Síochána were assigned to road policing at the end of March this year. Before the economic crash, as the Acting Chairman will recall, almost double that number of gardaí carried out this critical function.

I welcome the Minister's comments, given that we have heard that the hand-held devices work brilliantly in the Limerick Garda division. People are waiting. The Government spent an extra €342 million this year on Garda information and communications technology. We want to see those devices used by An Garda Síochána throughout the country as soon as possible.

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