Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister said earlier, this is a technical Bill and its purpose is to facilitate the introduction of changes to the structures in An Garda Síochána. This is to ensure the implementation of the new operating model. Of course, it is the impact of these changes on the ground that matter - the impact on communities, policing services and the police force itself.

The first issue I want to raise refers to the last point. It specifically relates to the issue of Sligo Garda station and the decision to pull the plug on the advanced plans to build a new Garda station in Sligo. I wish to make it clear that I have no issue with any decisions made by the Garda Commissioner in regard to administrative and operational matters. I fully understand his role in reorganising the operational model under which An Garda Síochána will operate. In fact, I support his objectives. However, the reorganisation of An Garda Síochána is constantly being linked to the U-turn on the building of a new Garda station in Sligo. There is no connection and I will explain the situation.

The Garda station in Sligo dates back to the 1840s. The need for a new station has long been established. In 2016-2017, there was a walkout due to the completely unacceptable working conditions. That in itself gives an indication of how bad things were. In 2019, the Office of Public Works, OPW, stated Sligo Garda station was not fit for purpose. A commitment was given to build a new station on a site outside Sligo town. A site was purchased by the OPW at a cost of €1.3 million. Money was allocated in the Government capital plan 2016-2021 and there was a five- to six-year timeline. A commitment was given to upgrade the existing station for use until the new building was ready.

In early 2020, to the complete disbelief of everybody concerned, an announcement was made that there would not be a new station and that the current nearly 200-year-old station would be refurbished. The current station is overcrowded. It does not have a disability access certificate. Some of its offices have no natural lighting or ventilation. There are no parking facilities; there are 20 spaces for 120 staff. Staff retention, particularly administrative, is a real issue because of the unacceptable working conditions. The plumbing, lighting and electrical systems need a complete upgrade. In addition, energy efficiency is not really a possibility.

Sligo management submitted a brief of the requirements for the refurbishment of the station. The response received so far has fallen short in approximately 40% of the requirements. Put simply, the footprint of the current station is far too small to accommodate the needs of those working there and the people it serves.

One might ask, after that long spiel, what the connection is between this legislation we are discussing and the Government U-turn on providing a new Garda station in Sligo. The connection could not be clearer. More than a year ago, the Minister for Justice at the time, Deputy Helen McEntee, stated in a written reply to a Dáil question, "In relation to a comparative assessment on refurbishing the existing Station [in Sligo] relative to the provision of a new Garda Station, I have been informed that the rationale for the decision not to proceed with a new Station in Sligo was based on the changed status of Sligo under the new Garda Operating Model." By the looks of it, the Bill we are debating is the rationale for the fact that we will continue to have a Garda station in Sligo that is "not fit for purpose", to quote the OPW.

Let us look at some of the changes proposed under this new operating model. Sligo is to be a functional area for performance assurance. This new role will require 30 extra staff. Under the restructuring Sligo Garda station will lose approximately ten staff members. The changes being made will mean that Sligo Garda station will have approximately 20 extra staff - not fewer staff- and they will all have to be squeezed into a station that is currently not fit for the number of people who work there. There is something wrong here. The Minister for Justice at the time, Deputy McEntee, said the reason for that change was because of the restructuring, but there is something wrong. I do not know who made the decision to pull the plug on the new station but there is no reason to support that decision. In fact, the opposite should have happened because there will be more staff employed in the station. Was it a political decision? Sligo was one of three stations which was part of a public private partnership bundle. The other two stations, Clonmel and Macroom, will go ahead. I wish them good luck. Those areas need their Garda stations.

However, what happened to the money earmarked for Sligo? What black hole has it fallen into? Why do we keep getting answers and responses that do not make sense when we ask the legitimate question: has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out, in accordance with the public spending code, on the refurbishment of Sligo Garda station vis-à-visthe construction of a new station on a greenfield site at Caltragh, County Sligo? I had submitted that very question, as a priority question, to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for tomorrow morning but it has been disallowed and I accept that. My question to the Minister is: who has the answer to this? Who made the decision and on what basis was that made?

Of course, there may be other reasons for that decision. There might be plans, of which we are currently unaware, for a diminution of policing services in Sligo. I have been asked to raise the question of whether we will keep our response services, the scenes of crime unit and the divisional protection unit, which investigates sexual crimes. We need guarantees on those issues. There is something wrong when we are being told we do not need a new station because of the changed status of Sligo, brought about by the legislation we are discussing, when, in fact, the provisions of the Bill mean there will be an increase in staff numbers. Any explanation the Minister can give me in this regard would be helpful. I see she is writing furiously. I hope it is information on that point, which I am interested to hear.

As I said, I am most interested in her response to the issues I have raised. Aside from that, however, the Bill has many positive aspects. One of the positive aspects is that these provisions will release gardaí from back-office functions and return them into communities. Community policing is hugely important because gardaí are part of the community and their visibility and availability within a community is crucial. The Bill can provide a supporting framework in that regard. As we all know, however, it is action that really matters. It is the commitment from the Garda and support from the community that will help to ensure meaningful community policing.

As a member of the Sligo joint policing committee, I have had the opportunity to see up close some of the really valuable work under way in Sligo-Leitrim on diversity, equality, inclusion and transparency. The Garda division has a new strategy that has community engagement at its centre. Part of this strategy is to identify how gardaí can become more accessible to persons with disabilities, minority groups, hard-to-reach groups, Traveller communities, LGBT+ communities, ethnic minority groups and direct provision centres, just to give some examples. Gardaí have promoted the Little Blue Heroes Foundation and worked with disability groups, support groups, active age groups, schools and IT Sligo. Liaison gardaí were appointed to assist the blind during the Covid-19 crisis. They have worked with children with autism, held information talks on coercive control and fully engaged in a week of action to create awareness, promote diversity and support the LGBT+ community during Pride week. At a recent meeting of the JPC, I said that local gardaí were breaking the mould and the initiatives they are leading on deserve national recognition and should be replicated across the country. Their efforts shows that commitment at local level works.

I said at the beginning of my contribution that I support the objective of the Garda Commissioner to deliver more efficient day-to-day policing within a framework of divisions that have the capabilities and autonomy to run local operations effectively. However, some lopsided divisions have been created, as many Deputies have mentioned. In my part of the country, we are soon to have a new Sligo-Leitrim-Donegal division, which will cover an area 140% greater than in the existing division. It will be approximately 8,300 sq. km in size compared with an area of 3,400 sq. km under the original division. That is a massive increase in area. It is worth noting that the GRA and the AGSI were critical of the implementation of the restructuring plans in 2019. They raised concerns that a reduction in the number of divisions could lead to longer response times and reduced police presence due to larger distances from headquarters to certain areas within their remit. I echo those concerns in the context of the Sligo-Leitrim-Donegal division. However, I am prepared to see how the new structures operate, provided there will be a flexible response if changes are needed.

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