Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their contributions and for their support for this Bill. I would like to mention a number of amendments I intend to introduce on Committee Stage. They relate to the drug testing of members of An Garda Síochána, as well as trainees, civilian staff, reserve members and applicants. The amendments were recommended by the Garda Inspectorate in its report from last year, Countering the Threat of Internal Corruption, which states that the proposed changes would bring An Garda Síochána into line with international best practice.

I turn now to some of the points raised by Deputies in this debate. Reference was made to the Drogheda implementation plan. My Department issued a statement on 8 July on local co-ordination and further implementation of the Drogheda scoping report, which can be read on the Department's website. As well as publishing the scoping report, the Department has identified a number of actions for early implementation, which can be progressed in line with the finalisation of the implementation plan. They include providing funding to the Red Door Project. The latter has submitted grant proposals and funding was provided this month. The Government agreed to publish the Drogheda implementation plan in July 2021 and to implement the actions contained in the report. Those actions will be reviewed quarterly and a progress report will be published twice yearly. The Department will lead national oversight to ensure the delivery of the implementation plan. As I announced on 8 July, Martin O'Brien, chief executive of the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, ETB, has committed to hosting new structures to deliver services in Drogheda. The ETB will be a core driver and co-ordinator of activity at local level. I also announced that Michael Keogh, a former senior official in the Department of Education, will chair the Drogheda implementation board. Work to finalise the membership of, and supports for, the board is almost complete and I expect the first meeting to be held in the next few weeks.

Many Deputies raised the need for increased community engagement. Under the Department's new community safety policy, local community safety partnerships, LCSPs, will be set up in every local authority. Three pilot partnerships have been established, in Dublin's north inner city, Longford and Waterford, and will run for the next two years ahead of a nationwide roll-out. Each LCSP will have an independent chairperson and will develop a local community safety plan. Deputy Stanton raised the question of whether the partnerships might be aligned with the municipal districts, and we will look at that. The plan, however, is that the partnerships will be set up in every local authority. They will bring together statutory services, the voluntary and community sector, local councillors and community members to work together to identify and tackle community safety issues locally. As the pilots progress, they will be carefully evaluated and any necessary changes made to ensure the partnerships work as effectively as possible for the communities involved. The pilots will inform the further development of the policing, security and community safety Bill, which will facilitate the roll-out of LCSPs in every local authority area.

It is important to bear in mind that community policing is at the heart of the work of An Garda Síochána. All gardaí have a role to play in community policing in the carrying out of their duties. Indeed, this is fundamental to the new Garda operating model recommended by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and currently being rolled out under A Policing Service for the Future, the Government's implementation plan for the commission's recommendations.

The issue of whether the Garda Commissioner will be a true CEO and questions about senior appointments were raised.

Proposals for changes to the process for appointments to the ranks of assistant commissioner and chief superintendent are contained in the policing, security and community safety Bill. The general provision is that the appointments might be made by the Commissioner, subject to the approval of the Garda Síochána board which is proposed to be set up under the same legislation. This reflects the recommendation in the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland that the Commissioner should have the power to appoint members of his or her own senior leadership team.

It is part of the process of empowering the Garda Commissioner as a true CEO, as it were, in a similar manner to other public sector bodies, to lead the organisation and drive change while also ensuring he or she is supported and held to account by a non-executive statutory board, a corporate governance standard across the public and private sector. Appointments to the rank of deputy commissioner and Commissioner are to remain the responsibility of the Government, with a consultative role for the board. As I understand it, the legislation will be brought forward and implemented over 2021 and 2022. It is a major piece of work. This legislation will also address many of the issues raised by Deputies regarding accountability and transparency in An Garda Síochána.

There was also other important information on the policing, security and community safety Bill, which will be brought through the House in due course. The intention of this legislation is to provide for the most wide-ranging and coherent reform of policing in a generation by improving the performance and accountability of policing and security services and supporting the human rights of all people throughout Ireland to be safe and to feel safe in their communities. Significant organisational reform, including institutional change, culture and work practices, is always challenging, but the aim is to strengthen external oversight of An Garda Síochána and internal governance within the organisation.

Earlier this year the Government approved the drafting of the policing, security and community safety Bill and referred it to the Oireachtas justice committee for pre-legislative scrutiny, which is an important part of the legislative process and will provide an opportunity for all views to be considered in a wider forum. The Bill has been developed on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, which reported in 2018, having comprehensively examined all aspects of policing, including all functions carried out by An Garda Síochána and the totality of the oversight arrangements. The implementation of the commission's recommendations and the introduction of the policing, security and community safety Bill are key commitments in the programme for Government. You did raise a number of those issues, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, so I hope I have addressed some of those in my response.

A number of Deputies raised the issue of funding for An Garda Síochána. The total gross allocation for the Garda Vote in 2021 was a record €1.952 billion, which is almost €2 billion in funding. As part of that allocation, there is €34 million for the capital building and refurbishment programme. Deputy Harkin raised the matter of Sligo Garda station. I will get a response directly to her on the specific issues she raised.

Several Deputies queried how the new model will affect their local area. The management of An Garda Síochána is primarily a matter for the Garda Commissioner. However, the Government believes these reforms, together with the range of measures being undertaken as part of A Policing Service for the Future, will ultimately benefit local communities by allowing local policing services to be more responsive to local needs, providing specialised services at a local and not just a national level and releasing more gardaí to the front line.

Deputies raised a number of issues. I assure them that the reforms have already begun within An Garda Síochána. I thank the men and women of An Garda Síochána for their dedication and continued commitment to the work they do. I commend them in particular on the wonderful work they did engaging with communities during Covid. It is fair to say that many of them went above and beyond the call of duty. Their job is not an easy one. As Minister for Justice, I am very proud to support them in the work they do. I thank Deputies for their contributions this evening. I may not have answered every question that was raised, but I assure them that all of the issues they raised with me will be taken on board.

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