Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I hope he will give me an extra minute for that please. If over 20 people were killed on a building site, the Health and Safety Authority would be involved. It is likely that the Garda and various other State agencies would also be involved. The point I am making is that in those situations there is a clear protocol in place, but in the situation of the Dealgan House Nursing Home there was no such protocol for families. That is what is most stressful for these families. This is not a blame game. The families simply want answers so that this does not happen to anyone else in the future. Several family members have contacted me and have asked me to ask the Minister these questions directly. It is quite clear that we need a public inquiry into why this happened in Dealgan House. Will the Minister bring this to the Cabinet and impress on his colleagues the need for a public inquiry? What happened in Dealgan House must not be allowed to happen anywhere again. The older generation must be protected every bit as much as other citizens. They have a right to be treated much better than they have been in the past few months. I repeat that I am asking the Minister to urge his Cabinet colleagues to accept that a public inquiry is needed.

We have heard in recent months about the difficulty front-line workers have had in obtaining PPE. Can the Minister update this House on the PPE for gardaí working on the front line? Is there sufficient PPE gear for vital front-line staff?

During recent months, several posts in An Garda Síochána have been filled by serving members of the PSNI. The most notable of these appointments is the appointment of Paula Hilman as assistant commissioner and Stephen McCauley to the rank of superintendent. Paula Hilman was previously a detective chief superintendent in the PSNI while Stephen McCauley was a detective chief inspector in the PSNI. Can the Minister state whether the appointments were made through an open selection competition and whether serving officers from other jurisdictions applied and were considered for these roles?

Will he indicate if serving members of An Garda Síochána applied for the roles?

I note that the appointments were made possible by an agreement between the Government and its UK counterpart. Is the Minister aware of any member of An Garda Síochána who has applied for a senior role in the PSNI? Can he confirm that this agreement will still stand in the event of a no-deal Brexit?

Over the past year or so, members of the armed response unit have been deployed in the north east, mainly as a response to the gang feud in Drogheda. I welcome and support the deployment but I wish to raise the concerns felt by those living close to the Border in towns such as Dundalk. I am particularly concerned that the armed response unit only appears to have been deployed in Drogheda to deal with the gang feud. There is no doubt that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, dangerous criminals will try to take advantage of the situation, particularly with smuggling and serious crime. Will the resources of the armed response unit be deployed in the same manner as they are being deployed to deal with the gang feud in Drogheda? I fear that Dundalk and surrounding areas will be vulnerable to cross-Border crime if we do not get our share of resources.

I have raised the Dromad Garda station with the Minister on many occasions. Will he indicate when the station will reopen? I had hoped it would have happened by now. Is there any particular reason the station has not yet reopened? I understand there are currently seven vacancies for Garda sergeants in the Dundalk area. Is this correct and, if so, why? I am disappointed the positions remain unfilled and am interested to hear why.

During the lockdown, I have received a greater than normal number of requests from fathers who are experiencing difficulties seeing their children who are cared for by their mothers. In one case, a father whose son lives with his mother has been unable to see his son for over seven weeks. He completely understands the reasons for the lockdown and supports it but he is missing valuable time with his son and worries about the long-term effect it might have on their relationship. Will the Minister indicate when such fathers will be in a position to see their children once more given the current restrictions?

Since the lockdown was introduced, domestic violence has increased, as have calls to women's refuges. What measures are being put in place by the Department of Justice and Equality to address this very important issue?

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