Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, and 55 together.

A Policing Service for our Future is the Government's plan to implement the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. As recommended in the commission's report, implementation of the plan is being overseen by a dedicated programme office in the Department of the Taoiseach. The policing reform implementation programme office monitors progress on A Policing Service for our Future and supports the work of the implementation group on policing reform, which has an independent chair, Ms Helen Ryan. The office also keeps the high-level steering board on policing reform, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, apprised of progress being made. In addition, progress is regularly reported to the Cabinet committee on social affairs and equality. The programme office has been resourced with appropriate expertise in the areas of project management, policing, justice and public service reform.

A Policing Service for our Future is a living document which is reviewed and updated by the programme office as required to maintain ambitious but realistic commitments, timeframes and milestones. A Policing Service for our Future is broken down into four stages of implementation, namely, the building blocks phase, the launching phase, the scaling phase and the consolidation phase. The first three phases have been completed and much has been achieved. The roll-out of a new operating model for An Garda Síochána, designed to streamline Garda administration and to provide a more visible, responsive and localised policing service to communities nationwide, is under way. The recruitment of nearly 1,800 Garda staff has supported the reassignment of many gardaí to front-line policing duties, and the roll-out of over 5,000 digital communication devices enables front-line gardaí to perform their duties without returning to stations. An Garda Síochána has established and strengthened resourcing of a human rights unit and re-established the strategic human rights advisory committee. There are pilots of local community safety partnerships in three locations around the country, in Dublin's north inner city, Waterford city and county and Longford county. An Garda Síochána has developed an equality, diversity and inclusion strategy statement and action plan 2020-21 and has launched a three-year Garda health and well-being strategy, which will see the introduction of additional health and well-being supports.

There has also been progress on legislative reform. The Government has approved the drafting of the landmark policing, security and community safety Bill, which provides for the most wide-ranging and coherent reform of policing in a generation; the Garda Síochána (digital recordings) Bill, which concerns the use of recording devices, including body-worn cameras; and the Garda Síochána (powers) Bill, which brings together and modernises police powers of search, arrest and detention.

These measures and achievements represent only some of the wide range of actions completed or being progressed under the plan, and further detailed information on the implementation of the reform programme is available on gov.ie. The implementation group on policing reform and the policing reform implementation programme office have been, and continue to be, actively engaged with key stakeholders to ensure continued momentum on reform. Consideration is currently being given to the best way of approaching the final or consolidation phase of the reform programme to ensure that policing in Ireland is transformed in line with the vision elaborated in the commission's report and that, into the future, An Garda Síochána is well positioned to manage sustainable and significant organisational improvements that meet the needs of the public.

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