Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is great to see the Minister back in the Chamber dealing with legislation. I appreciate the points she made about the Commissioner being the person who allocates resources, and that is based on the division of the organisation between the different pieces of legislation. Nevertheless, as a constituency Deputy in Dáil Éireann, it is important for me to raise issues in my area relating to appropriate Garda representation. A town of 30,000 people is being built in Cherrywood in my constituency and no physical space is being allocated for a Garda station. The area will be served by Cabinteely Garda station, which is nearby. Two Garda stations in the area have been closed. This is a major issue for local gardaí in terms of planning and for my constituents. There is an obvious gap and it must be addressed. As long as this matter is not addressed, it will contribute to anxiety and a lack of good planning. It might be for the Commissioner to consider and perhaps if he is listening to the debate he will hear the comments being made on behalf of my constituents and the gardaí who are trying to serve them well regarding the development in Cherrywood.

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