Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 7: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his Department's budget for implementing the major new provisions of the Garda Síochána Act 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9683/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am satisfied there is adequate provision in the 2006 allocations to implement the major provisions of the Garda Síochána Act 2005. The Garda budget for 2006 is €1.29 billion, an all-time high, and represents an increase of 13% on the allocation for 2005, which was itself a record allocation.

The Act provides for the establishment of a number of new organisations, in particular the Garda Síochána ombudsman commission and the Garda inspectorate. A provision of €10.01 million has been made in the Justice, Equality and Law Reform Vote for the Garda Síochána ombudsman commission, and a provision of €1.902 million has been made in the same Vote for the Garda inspectorate.

The Act also provides that I may issue guidelines for the establishment by each local authority and the Garda Síochána of joint policing committees. I am proposing that joint policing committees should be established on a pilot basis in a number of local authority areas as a first step and I will issue the necessary guidelines shortly. They have been the subject of consultation between my Department and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. This approach is based on advice I received from the review group on the implementation of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, chaired by Senator Maurice Hayes, whose report I published last month. Senator Hayes is an enthusiastic supporter of a Garda reserve force.

My Department and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government propose to make available €600,000 in total for the operation of the committees on a pilot basis when they are established this year. There is adequate provision in the Garda Vote to meet my Department's contribution of €300,000.

The Act also provides for the establishment of reserve members. A sum of €1.28 million has been allocated in the Garda Vote this year for the recruitment of reserve members. That was the subject of extensive publicity when the Estimates were published last year. The Act provides for the transfer of responsibility for civilian staff in the Garda Síochána from my Department to the Garda Commissioner. This is planned for September 2006. The cost of these staff is borne on the Garda Vote and there is provision in that Vote of more than €46 million for clerical, industrial and other civilian staff. Full provision has been made.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I am glad to see provision being made in all those areas. It is strange that approximately €10 million is being provided for the ombudsman commission but it will not be operational this year. I do not know where that money will go. Only €1.28 million is being provided for the Garda reserve force and 900 of these members will be operating this year. It appears disproportionate.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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Does the Deputy have a question?

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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In terms of the most important element of the Garda Síochána Bill, the joint policing committees and the community policing section, the Minister appears to indicate that this will be a private arrangement. Is he indicating that it will be privately funded? It seems this will be the core of the legislation, and if it is to be successful, it will require resources for the local authority and communities involved.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy's minute is concluded.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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With regard to the Garda and employment of extra gardaí, there will be much movement internally in various communities to get this operating effectively. There appears to be adequate provisions for other areas, but there seems to be a shortage of the provisions made for community policing.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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With regard to local policing committees, these will not be provided with new buildings or furniture. The committees will function in existing premises. Most of the associated costs are administrative, and most of the support for the committees themselves will be supplied by administrative staff from existing bodies.

There are funding programmes which already aid bodies such as community crime forums and similar matters. They are not the same as funds going to establishing the local policing committees. The existing resources for those types of operations, which come from State sources, are not all tied up together in the €600,000 package. That is intended as new money to support the costs of the pilot scheme of local policing committees. It is not a question of private funding. However, local authorities will be expected to fund local policing forums, as they have done in the past.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Now that the new Bill is in place, does the Minister involve himself in establishing priorities for funding? I mentioned earlier needs such as the obvious inadequacies in matters such as firearms training. Issues have recently become evident such as inadequacies in driver training, school lecturer numbers, etc. There are regular reports of a lack of equipment and 20 year old walkie talkies. Deputy Costello earlier mentioned the lack of proper uniforms and shirts. Does the Minister take any involvement in isolating such problems?

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Some gardaí have only one pair of trousers apiece.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Trousers are even more important. Does the Minister consider the main needs and requirements and prioritise them accordingly? I get a continuous stream of complaints relating to all these aspects which seem to be of no concern to the Minister.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Under the Garda Síochána Act, the Minister gives overall policing priorities for the year to the Garda Commissioner. The Commissioner's function is to come up with proposals of his own with regard to individual areas of policing operations and give them to the Minister. If the Deputy is asking me if I order the Commissioner to buy an extra set of trousers for every garda——

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Does the Minister discuss such matters?

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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——and cut back on batons or overtime, I do not.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Does the Minister raise the question of whether we need a water cannon?

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister should be allowed to respond.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Gardaí would need a change of trousers if we had a water cannon.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The water cannon is a very simple issue, and perhaps the Deputy will hear my answer. I asked the Commissioner, in light of recent events, whether it was satisfactory that the six water cannons in Northern Ireland, costing approximately £800,000 sterling, or over €1 million each, are the sole source of water cannons on this island.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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They could be on permanent loan.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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It was the Commissioner's view that if one water cannon was bought, another would have to be purchased as they are complex instruments and if one breaks down there would have to be a back-up. In his view, he would get much better value for €2 million relying on the mutual assistance arrangements between the PSNI and the Garda, rather than having water cannons lying in a depot. I can imagine if we had two extra water cannons, with one of them malfunctioning, Deputy Jim O'Keeffe would get his usual letter with a dog-eared corner detailing the secret information that one of the water cannons was not working. He would ask what the Minister proposed to do about it.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I am glad the Minister recognises my use.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The time for the question is concluded.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I have a brief supplementary question for the Minister.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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We have gone eight minutes on this question.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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That was not my fault, it was the fault of the Minister, who was allowed to rabbit on.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy went over on his minute's allocation also.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I did not.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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If somebody were to analyse today's Question Time and compare it with the Second Stage speeches earlier——

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The speeches made by the Minister are incredible. He is forever making Second Stage speeches.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister did not have it all his own way today.