Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 12, inclusive, together.

A Policing Service for the Future is the Government’s plan to implement the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The implementation of the plan has been overseen by a dedicated programme office in the Department of the Taoiseach and an implementation group on policing reform, chaired by an independent person.

The final phase of the plan is expected to conclude later this year in line with the enhanced governance and accountability framework laid out in the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, which is expected to come into effect this summer. A significant focus of the implementation plan has been concerned with strengthening the internal capabilities of An Garda Síochána in order that the organisation possesses the capacity to drive future reform.

Under the new governance and accountability framework, a non-executive Garda board will be established to help this process and will be complemented by external agencies such as the policing and community safety authority and the reconstituted police ombudsman.

Given that the Report on the Commission of the Future of Policing in Ireland called for greater clarity and coherence in terms of police governance, it will be important to ensure that future governance is as streamlined and clear as possible. This would help to continue the reform process, which has already achieved significant progress including: progressing the operating model for An Garda Síochána, which will enable a more visible, responsive and localised policing service to communities nationwide; the full roll-out of the model in 11 divisions with the remaining ten divisions expected to come on stream later this year; and the conclusion of the three pilot local community safety partnerships in Dublin’s north inner city, Waterford city and county and County Longford which will inform the national roll-out of these arrangements in 2024. Moreover, the Garda workforce was larger at the end of 2023 than at any year before 2019 and recent recruitment has been strong following the Government decision to increase the entry age limit to apply to become a Garda trainee from 35 years to 50 years. There also has been distribution of nearly 15,600 digital communication devices, thereby enabling front-line gardaí to perform their duties without returning to stations, implementation of new human rights structures, strategies and training across the organisation and the introduction of a three-year Garda health and well-being strategy, which recognises the stresses a garda can face and provides assistance to deal with them.

There also has been progress on legislative reform. The landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 provides for the most wide-ranging and coherent reform of policing in a generation. The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act, which concerns the use of recording devices, including body-worn cameras, was signed into law by the President on 5 December 2023 and I believe we will start to see the roll-out of body cameras from next month. In June 2023, the Cabinet approved the drafting of a general scheme for a new Garda Bill on facial recognition technology. This new Bill will deal with the concerns raised on facial recognition technology when it was previously debated in the House. The Garda Síochána (powers) Bill will combine and modernise police powers of search, arrest and detention. In addition, the Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Areas) Act came into law in 2022 to underpin the new Garda operating model. These achievements represent only some of the wide range of actions completed or being progressed.

The implementation group on policing reform is currently focused on concluding the final phase of the reform programme and the arrangements for ensuring the smooth transition to the new statutory governance and oversight arrangements.

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