Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh in our parliamentary service for helping us with the motion, and I thank the line Minister, Deputy McEntee, for being in attendance for the entirety of the debate. That does not happen often and, as such, we note the Minister's attendance and thank her for it.

As we know, it has been 100 years since the foundation of An Garda Síochána. It is a community police service that serves with the consent of the people. We also know that our front-line gardaí are unarmed and that the Garda is one of the few forces in Europe for which that remains the case. When you meet a garda you are not meeting an armed officer. An Garda Síochána is one of the few such forces in the world. At one time, gardaí were embedded in the community. Sadly, however, that is no longer the case and we have seen how the shutdown of rural Garda stations has unnerved many in our rural and regional communities.

I will talk about resources, particularly for the divisional headquarters in Waterford, an issue I have raised in this House since I was elected in 2020. Despite significant capacity challenges, we are still, three and a half years later, discussing how that facility can be expanded. We know we have extra people coming in from the private sector and working in the Garda, but there is no room for them in the divisional headquarters in Waterford. I ask the Minister again to try to prioritise some scoping works and the development of that divisional headquarters.

Where we have arrived with the GRA and policing in general reflects an ongoing trend. Policing is not what it was 30 years ago. The challenges are now very different. They are immense and overwhelming for many front-line gardaí. We have to acknowledge, whether we like it or not, that there is a significant sense of entitlement among citizens. The State has had to adapt but we treat gardaí differently from how we treat citizens. I will give an example. When someone commits a street assault there is, under an unspoken statute of limitations, a requirement to have the book of evidence ready and presented within six months. If a frivolous complaint is made against a garda, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission steps in and there is no statute of limitations. A significant number of gardaí have been suspended and are waiting to have these cases heard, some of them for many years. Surely this has a corrosive effect on the way people feel about how they are being treated in their jobs. I know of a number of members who were stood down, cannot wear their uniforms, are bound to desk duty and have lost allowances based on frivolous complaints. It muddies the water in terms of the attitude of the rank and file and how they perceive they are being treated when they have to bring their own books of evidence into the courts so quickly. I ask the Minister to address that issue.

On rostering, the rank and file feel they have not been listened to for quite some time. I accept that the decision to appoint Commissioner Harris was seen as an appointment of a reforming Commissioner. Not all gardaí are angels and there is no doubt that reform of the service was needed. However, over time there has been an overbearing governance in the Garda, without discussion with rank-and-file members. When members of the Garda raise issues they feel they are not being listened to. Rostering and the challenges it presents to new gardaí in particular are a fundamental challenge.

Gardaí leaving Templemore will most likely be sent to Dublin and receive the initial pay rate. I understand that pay grades move on but they are being asked to find accommodation in Dublin that is not available. As the Minister knows, they are commuting significant distances. Even in Waterford we have gardaí who are commuting from Tipperary and Wexford every day. If the six-day roster is to be returned, gardaí will see a significant increase in their travel times and costs. There is no housing. That is the fundamental deficit across our economy at present and one of the things feeding this debate.

I have spoken to a number of married and cohabiting gardaí. If they are on opposing rosters, when will they get time to spend together?

Managing children and childcare is a massive issue for them. They have been raising this with their representative association. It does not appear that anyone in the higher echelons is listening. We only have a police force with the consent of its members to do the job it is doing. They have threatened to withdraw that consent, which is a very serious place to arrive at.

The issue of transfers-----

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