Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues for tabling this motion. I thank Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh for her assistance in drafting it. I thank the Minister for being present. It is not often that we have a Minister present throughout a Private Members' debate. I acknowledge that.

The Minister acknowledged there is a significant issue here. She has publicly acknowledged this and it is important. All of us in the House recognise there are serious concerns about the ongoing challenges with An Garda Síochána and the unofficial industrial action that is taking place.

We are speaking about having an immediate review of An Garda Síochána as a force, with engagement with all of the stakeholders involved, to be to be chaired by An Taoiseach, and to make recommendations within 12 weeks, which is a tight timescale. Something new is needed to unblock the impasse. We need urgent intervention that is different from the engagement on this to date.

We all recognise that An Garda Síochána is a dedicated force with the professionalism and commitment to deliver in communities throughout the country. There is a morale issue that needs to be addressed. It is in all our interests to do so. We all want to see these issues resolved. We need to see re-engagement from all sides on this. Resignations will not solve any of the current problems we have. The citizens of this country have a legitimate right to feel safe in their own homes. This industrial action is causing anxiety, particularly among older people, and the lack of constructive engagement is adding to this concern. It is important that all involved re-engage on these issues.

I want the Minister to remember "743 days". Last year, I met a middle-ranking member of the force. I have known him for years as we went to school together. I asked him how things were and he said "743 days". I asked him what he meant. He said he had only 743 days until he retired. That is a poor reflection of where things are at in An Garda Síochána at present.

A constituent contacted me to explain that she had contacted the district headquarters of An Garda Síochána in Roscommon because there were no gardaí in the station in Taughmaconnell. She had a particular concern that she wanted to express. The garda on duty asked her to spell Taughmaconnell. If the gardaí in the local district do not even know the local Garda stations, it gives rise to real concern in communities.

As the Minister knows, approximately two years ago, I raised with her in the House the issue of manpower in the Garda district in Roscommon. On 4 October 2021, only one Garda was covering an area from Ballyleague on the River Shannon to Ballinasloe on the River Suck. It is a very large rural Garda district in County Roscommon. This was because 25 gardaí had left the district due to promotion, transfer or retirement and had not been replaced. These were issues before there was any mention of changing the Covid roster and they have caused high levels of damage in the force. The issues with the roster are an expression of frustration regarding the morale issues in the force that need to be urgently addressed.

New members appointed to the force will be sent to Dublin. They will have to travel long distances because they will not get accommodation for love nor money in the city. The rostering issues are only an expression of the frustration about broader issues. I know the Minister and her office are inundated with issues about Garda transfers. Members of the force have got married but cannot relocate back home. There is a couple, both of whom are members of the force, who are based in a far-flung region but who built a house locally in my constituency. They are paying the mortgage for it but cannot live there because they cannot get a transfer back to anywhere in reasonable commuting distance of their homes. This flexibility needs to be reintroduced in the force. It has been sadly lacking in recent times. I know this is down to manpower issues but it needs to be urgently addressed.

The Minister, the Taoiseach in the House yesterday, gardaí on the ground and Garda management tell us the old roster is not fit for purpose. However, we are going back to it. I accept that talks on the roster have been ongoing for a considerable period. I respectfully suggest to the Minister that the issue of rostering should be taken out of this process. It should be dealt with independently. The reason I say this is that this is as much an issue for a mathematical calculation as it is for industrial relations. My colleague Deputy Shanahan is from Waterford. Waterford University Hospital engaged with Science Foundation Ireland and some of the top mathematicians in the country to come up with a new model for outpatient appointments. It transformed the operation of the outpatient clinics at Waterford University Hospital. I suggest the same should be done with this rostering issue.

Everyone accepts that the old roster does not work. We have issues with the current roster. Let us get some of the best brains in the country to come up with a practical, implementable solution that deals with the needs that An Garda Síochána management have and also deals with the genuine concerns of members of the force. In the interim, I urge the Minister to take on board the proposal in the motion for a 12-week review spearheaded by the Taoiseach to come up with constructive recommendations to add a long-term solution to this issue. I commend the motion to the House.

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