Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his contribution. It might be good for me to outline some of the work that has been done, particularly in the implementation of the commission recommendations and in A Policing Service for the Future, which is a four year plan to implement the report. An increase in garda numbers and ensuring that continues as well as ensuring training continues are extremely important. It is not, however, just about the garda numbers but it is also about ensuring the recommendations and the reform structures are implemented.

I am pleased to inform Deputies that much has already been achieved under the plan. We have, for example, the roll-out of a new operational model for An Garda Síochána has commenced. This model is designed to streamline Garda administration and to promote more visible, responsive, and localised policing service to communities nationwide. We can very clearly see this on the ground.

Already An Garda Síochána has established and strengthened the resourcing of a human rights unit and re-established the strategic human rights advisory committee. The National Security Analysis Centre has been established and the director was appointed in 2019. On garda recruits, approximately 600 new garda recruits were attested and were assigned to front-line policing duties. An Garda Síochána has also recruited approximately 750 staff, which has allowed approximately 600 gardaí to be reassigned from administrative front-line duties, as I mentioned earlier, to operational policing duties where their expertise can be used to best effect.

The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act has been enacted which also gives gardaí access to the Workplace Relations Commission for the first time and provides for a modern industrial relations framework within An Garda Síochána. Other areas are also being progressed, in particular in terms of legislation. Government has given approval for legislation to be drafted by my Department to underpin the use of recording devices, which includes the body-worn cameras, and for the codification of legislation defining police powers of arrest, search and detection. The development of a general scheme of the policing and community safety Bill is well advanced by the Department, which will provide a coherent framework for the governance and oversight of An Garda Síochána. These measures only represent some of the wide-ranging actions that have been progressed under the plan, A Policing Service for the Future. I can update Deputies with further information on this as things progress. Implementation of this plan is overseen by a dedicated policing reform implementation programme office, which is located in the Department of an Taoiseach.

The new Garda operational model is being rolled out at the moment. This is to meet commitments in the A Policing Service for Our Future report, the four-year implementation plan giving effect to the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. This is a model that has been long been recommended by independent policing specialists, including the Garda Síochána Inspectorate. While this is new to Ireland, it is standard in many other countries and is designed to provide a more responsive Garda Síochána, and to provide more localised policing services to communities and to streamline Garda administration and reorganise resources in order to do so. There is a great amount of work going on now, not just legislative and restructuring but also to ensure that we continue to allow recruits to be trained. A competition will be opened later this year to ensure that we reach the targets that we have set for the end of next year.

I thank the Deputies for raising this issue and I thank An Garda Síochána who have done tremendous work in the last number of months both working with us and in protecting us throughout this Covid-19 crisis.

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