Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if, in view of recent assurances that highly visible mobile Garda units will be deployed to cover wider geographic areas after station closures come into effect, he will explain the way this is intended to be facilitated in view of the existing wide disparity in the deployment of Garda vehicles and the shortage of vehicles in many parts of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11772/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The decision to close 100 Garda stations in 2013 was the result of a comprehensive operational assessment carried out by the Garda Commissioner over a 12-month period and proposed in the Commissioner's policing plan for 2013, which I laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. The plan contained the Commissioner's proposals for the continued re-organisation and consolidation of the Garda station network. It is, of course, a matter for the Commissioner to put the necessary policing measures in place to take account of the closure of Garda stations.

In that context, the Garda authorities have indicated that, where stations have been closed in 2013, a comprehensive set of revised structures has been put in place. In particular, the Garda authorities have emphasised that the force is continuing to support the relevant communities through the clustering of services at policing hubs. This centralisation has facilitated the introduction of enhanced patrolling arrangements that, in turn, provide increased Garda visibility as well as maintaining existing links with communities, both rural and urban. The objective is to ensure that the best possible policing service will be made available to our communities. I should add that the closures yielded the freeing up of over 160 Garda members in 2012 for operational policing duties. Moreover, the Garda authorities have indicated that the consolidation measures for 2013 will result in an extra 61,000 Garda patrol hours. The overall result is that a very wide range of measures have been implemented to take account of the closure of stations and I am confident that, arising from the consolidation process which is taking place, An Garda Síochána will continue to provide a professional, efficient and effective service to communities throughout the country.

With regard to the provision and deployment of Garda vehicles, the Deputy will appreciate that decisions in these areas are a matter for the Garda Commissioner in the context of his identified operational demands and in the light of available resources. In that regard, the Deputy may be aware that currently the Garda authorities are rolling out a supply of 170 new vehicles, which have been procured by means of an additional allocation of €3 million that I made available in 2012. These vehicles are being deployed on the basis of operational needs, including the revised policing arrangements for areas.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

In addition, I am advised by the Garda authorities that the financial provision of €5 million in the Garda budget for the purchase and fit-out of Garda transport in 2013 will enable the Garda to obtain a significant number of new vehicles. Arrangements are being made to place the order for the new vehicles, which the Deputy can be assured will be deployed as effectively as possible in line with the Garda's operational requirements.

This represents a considerable financial investment in Garda transport, particularly at a time when the level of funding available across the public sector is severely limited. It is a clear indication of my commitment to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, the Garda is provided with sufficient resources to enable it to provide an effective and efficient policing service.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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As I have pointed out to the Minister several times, there is not an even distribution of gardaí around the country. There are also wide differences in the ways Garda cars are deployed. I have asked for information on that matter a number of times, but the Minister keeps giving me the same answer, that being, he cannot tell me because he does not have a function in that regard. If he is going to close Garda stations and if we are to have so-called smarter policing, it is essential that cars be available.

I was particularly concerned when I read the comments made by the independently appointed head of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, Mr. Robert Olson, this morning when he referred to the plan as a Band-Aid. I accept that the fleet was allowed to move away from a position of being renewed on an incremental basis. Many Garda vehicles are at the 300,000 km limit.

How can the Minister avoid the very circumstance that he claims smarter policing is supposed to prevent, namely, desk-bound gardaí, if Garda cars are not available to transport gardaí from hubs to remote areas? If a station's only car is lost, an entire peripheral area would not get the type of coverage he has described.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I am sorry, but we are running out of time.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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How can this be avoided in the fleet's absence, particularly in areas that have lost police stations?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Garda currently has 2,436 vehicles, which is roughly equivalent to the numbers it had in 2007 at the height of the Celtic tiger. An additional €5 million has been made available to it this year for the purchase of additional vehicles. Indeed, it may come to pass that if we can achieve the same effective financial approach to work in 2013 in my Department that we achieved in 2012, there will be some additional funding available for Garda vehicles when we come to the autumn.

There are substantial numbers of Garda vehicles but I am sure that the Deputy will appreciate that, under the Garda Síochána Acts, the operational decisions are made by the Garda Commissioner. When it comes to the allocation of members of the force to particular locations in the country and when it comes to the allocation of Garda cars, those decisions must be made on the basis of operational need. It is the Commissioner and those working under him who make those decisions.

They do so in a manner that is also flexible because as the operational needs change, the allocation of members of the force to particular locations may change and the provision of vehicles may change. It is not the job and cannot be the role of the Minister for Justice and Equality to determine in what part of the country each Garda vehicle that is acquired should be located. That is simply not feasible.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Reference was made to 100 cars in 2004. A significant number of those cars are close to the 300,000 km limit. I do not buy what the Minister said. I do not ask him to micro-manage but the regional approach to the deployment of Garda personnel is discriminatory in that what one has, one holds. I indicated to the Minister on numerous occasions that there are wide variations and they cannot be accounted for by low rates of crime because it is obvious that is not the case in some of the regions.