Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Community policing has served us well down through the years in west Cork with excellent gardaí such as Damian White and Brigid Hartnett who have been second to none in carrying out their duties and protecting the people they serve. This has not been made easy through the years due to the closure by the previous Fine Gael Government of seven Garda stations in west Cork, namely, those in Castletownshend, Ballygurteen, Ballyfeard, Goleen, Inchigeela, Ballinspittle, and Adrigole, saving a meagre €28,000. While the Government did all it could to backpedal on this highly dangerous decision for rural communities, the Garda station in Ballinspittle, for which I fought vigorously, was the only one reopened in west Cork. This was hugely important to the people of Ballinspittle, Ballinadee and Kinsale and was a great support to the excellent community garda, John McCarthy, in Kilbrittain. Has the Minister any plans to reverse the closure of other Garda stations in west Cork and to appoint a local garda in each of those stations? What plans has the Department for the Garda stations it will not reopen? Why can they not be handed back to the communities, rather than letting them fall into disrepair which adds to the shameful decisions to close them?

I understand that this next issue does not fall under the Minister's Department but it should, as our young people cannot get on with their lives while they are denied a driving test. It is totally unfair to them and to the driving test instructors who want to work in a safe manner but have no idea when, where or how to do so. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, has slammed the door shut and run off with the keys, leaving many unanswered questions. Can the Minister shed any light on a growing crisis which I am worried could force young people to break the law?

Gardaí in west Cork have worked tirelessly throughout this Covid crisis trying to get the message across and keeping people safe. Their job is being made difficult by having to police businesses that put a few tables and chairs outside a premises in a safe, socially-distanced way. For many people, this is their business's only chance of survival. While I urge the Minister to make sure the law is being enforced, where proper social distancing is being carried out by these businesses in west Cork they should be encouraged and not be made to remove their seating.

On the State hiring 210 additional vehicles for gardaí during the Covid crisis, how much has this cost the State and how many of these cars were allocated to west Cork, which is geographically one of the biggest Garda divisions in Ireland? I may be wrong but I can only see a couple. Where did the other 208 go?

Community policing can only work well when there is a good community alert group in place. I thank all the community alert and neighbourhood watch groups in west Cork and throughout the country that work tirelessly for the community in a voluntary capacity.

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