Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me raise this matter on the Adjournment. I also thank the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for being present to respond to me on a matter of serious concern to the personnel in Castleisland Garda station and to the people of the town.

I have already raised the issue of the long-awaited purchase of a site for the provision of a new Garda station in Castleisland several times in this Chamber. This is the third time I have raised the issue on the Adjournment. Recently, in the town of Castleisland, there have been some serious incidents. Examples of the type of violent crime that has occurred include a stabbing incident and an assault on a garda that left him with a broken nose.

Local media have highlighted the seriousness of the situation through articles on public disorder. The issue is of major concern to the people of the town yet despite the level of concern the gardaí continue to operate out of seriously sub-standard rented accommodation on Church Street. The dire working conditions in the makeshift station affect the morale of the Garda personnel based there. Two sergeants and eight gardaí operate out of the building. The facility is seriously cramped and has no parking facilities. It has no changing rooms or showers for the officers. It has only one toilet, used by the gardaí and members of the public alike. The building has no private interview room, the reception area is completely open and as a result, privacy and confidentiality cannot be offered to members of the public who call to the gardaí.

Not only is this accommodation entirely unsuitable for the officers in question, but it is bound to deter members of the public from reporting crime. To compound these problems, gardaí do not have the use of a holding cell in the building. Frequently, this creates a ludicrous situation whereby gardaí must make a one and a half hour round trip to Killarney Garda station for the use of a holding cell whenever they make an arrest. During the time it takes them to travel to and from Killarney, the town of Castleisland is left unprotected and without a Garda presence.

On 25 February of this year, the district committee of the Garda Representative Association warned the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform that the personnel based in Castleisland would abandon their current accommodation and operate out of Killarney Garda station by 1 July if a site for a new station in Castleisland is not purchased by that time. Nobody wants to reach that point but the gardaí feel they may have no alternative. It is almost unimaginable that a town the size of Castleisland could be left without a resident Garda presence due to the Government's negligence. Such a move would strike fear in the hearts and minds of those in Castleisland who need Garda protection and it would be a clear case of the Government failing in its duty to protect its citizens.

This disgraceful saga has dragged on for many years, with little or no progress. One delaying factor is the unavailability of a reasonably priced site. The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Tom Parlon, informed me today, in a written answer to a parliamentary question, that the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has confirmed the suitability of a proposed site and the Office of Public Works is preparing a valuation report on the site. The answer also stated that negotiations with the owner of the site would commence when the report has been completed and that the Commissioners of Public Works hope to be in a position to make an offer to purchase the site soon.

While I welcome any development that would lead to the building of the station, I hope this is not another cynical stalling tactic. Has the Minister considered what will happen if the owner of the site seeks more for the property than the price in the valuation report? Recently, as part of the Government's decentralisation programme, €4.5 million of taxpayers' money was spent in Killarney to secure the relocation of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Like Killarney, Castleisland is a busy and progressive town. Property in and around the town is at a premium and over the past four years, the value of some property had doubled. Four years ago the Commissioners of Public Works rejected an ideally located site for the new station in the centre of Castleisland.

I am determined to make sure this scandalous situation does not drag on for another four years. Were that to happen, apart from the obvious difficulties this would present to the Garda, procrastination on the purchase of a site would increase the cost burden on the taxpayer. The people of Castleisland need a new Garda station. The gardaí cannot be expected to continue to operate under the current arrangement and I commend them on the great job they do in extremely difficult and trying circumstances. In the context of the agreed priority list, the need for a new Garda station in Castleisland must be treated as an urgent priority and this should have been the case since the original station was subjected to an arson attack on 3 March 2001.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am grateful to Deputy Deenihan for raising this matter and affording me the opportunity to explain the latest position regarding Castleisland Garda station. There was an arson attack on Castleisland Garda sub-district station in March 2001 which caused extensive smoke damage to the station. Following this incident, the Office of Public Works identified alternative temporary accommodation, acceptable to the Garda authorities, in the former Castleisland Credit Union premises.

All parties, however, agree that a new station is required for Castleisland. Accordingly, the Office of Public Works identified several sites for a new Garda station in the town. The Garda authorities confirmed the suitability of a proposed site and the Office of Public Works is preparing a valuation report on the site. Negotiations with the owner of the site will commence when the report has been completed and the Commissioners of Public Works hope soon to be able to make an offer to purchase the site.

I concede to the Deputy that this situation has gone on too long and assure him that the project is progressing and there will be no furtheravoidable delay in providing the new accommodation. I am aware of the threatened withdrawal of Garda personnel to Killarney Garda station from 1 July next. The Garda management officials of my Department and the Office of Public Works in full consultation and agreement with the Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors decide on the selection of all new stations to be built or existing stations to be refurbished, including their relative priority. Castleisland Garda station has been and will continue to be dealt with within this process which has worked well in the past.

I can understand the frustration of the gardaí working in Castleisland Garda station, bearing in mind what the Deputy has said about it. I assure them that the matter is moving on and I will make it my business to find out why it has taken so long. I have directed officials from my Department to liaise with the Office of Public Works to expedite this important project and I will speak to the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, to ensure that in so far as there is any problem in the fact that two agencies are involved that it receives the priority the situation demands from both of our Departments. Meanwhile, I ask all concerned to deal with the matter within the existing machinery.

The gardaí occupy some 703 Garda stations throughout the country. Many of them, including Castleisland, need to be rebuilt, updated, modernised or replaced. This is being done in a structured and systematic way. Much work has been done in recent years and more is scheduled over the next few years. In the order of €112 million will be spent between now and the end of 2007 on the overall Garda building programme. This level of investment demonstrates the high priority the Government affords to the programme. There has been significant recent work to improve Garda stations and build new stations around the country.

I am grateful to the Deputy for bringing this continuing and unacceptable delay to my attention. Four years is far too long to wait for this. We will learn lessons from this experience and will not repeat such a delay in future. The members of the force are doing a good job in their community and should have decent facilities, and temporary accommodation should not become permanent, which has been a trend in some cases.