Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The issue that I am about to raise is of the utmost importance to the people of County Louth. As the Minister of State, Deputy White, will be aware, Louth has steadily improved and grown, even matured, since the Good Friday agreement. There is a new sense of optimism and belief and a new and justified sense of pride. The town of Dundalk and the region have benefited from increases in tourism, self-belief and investment. Since the inception of this Government, we have delivered world class businesses to the region, including PayPal, Prometric and eBay, to name just a few. Tourism has increased with outstanding initiatives in County Louth and east County Meath. The natural and unspoiled beauty of the Cooley Peninsula can rival any scenery in Ireland.

These achievements have come about as a result of collective, sustained and selfless work on behalf of the people. These laudable achievements are here to stay and we want to bring further benefits to the region. However, they are under threat if the Minister does not address the issues that I am about to raise.

I doubt that the Minister for Justice and Equality is aware of the problems because, if he was wise to the situation, he would never allow it to exist. How many gardaí and patrol cars does the Minister of State believe police the Omeath to Carlingford and Dromad to Hackballscross area, a distance of some 45 kilometres, at night? In what is arguably the most volatile stretch of the Border, with 36 crossings rife with criminal and dissident activity, there is the princely sum of one patrol car and two gardaí. This is not acceptable. The Dundalk area, including Blackrock, has a population of 45,000 people, but it is only covered by one uniform patrol car. This is not acceptable either.

The situation is reaching crisis level. Please do not allow all of the good work to date to unravel. In order to have an acceptable level of policing in the Dundalk area, personnel are required to replace retirees or other personnel who have been permanently transferred. They number two inspectors, three sergeants and 26 gardaí. In addition, nine official vehicles have not been replaced, comprising three marked uniform patrol cars and six unmarked cars.

These are savage reductions in resources at a time when they are vital. We have all too recently seen the carnage and devastation that the unlawful activities of ruthless criminals can cause. I do not wish to rake over the horrific death of my friend, Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, but if ever there was a time to stand up and be counted, it is now. Gardaí are not asking the Minister to stand up, fight the criminals and keep the people of this State safe. They are happy, proud and honoured to do that themselves. However, they want the resources to do their job. How many of these resources will the Minister deploy to Dundalk and when? The proper resourcing of the Garda in Dundalk is a priority. The Garda is dealing with murders, robberies, diesel laundering, criminal networks, paramilitaries, dissidents and drug dealers, not to mention an array of other crimes.

I would appreciate clear and concise answers on what concrete actions the Minister will take. Gardaí do not need to hear that they are doing a tremendous job in stressful situations or that they are valued. What they need to hear is commitment, followed by action. I want the Minister of State to tell me and the people of County Louth what actions the Minister will take to overcome these issues.

I am acutely aware of the need for cutbacks and, in general, support some of them. However, it is a different matter when people's security is at risk. I ask the Minister of State for concrete answers and commitments that can be measured. A commitment to extra gardaí, sergeants and patrol cars is required.

Just so that the Minister of State is aware, when I comment about these Border and security issues, I am not a jumped up, tie-wearing Deputy who is giving lip-service to his constituents. I am a genuinely concerned citizen. What is more, I have first-hand experience of these Border crossings and the activities that they afford. I have stood at these crossings as a proud member of the Irish Defence Forces patrolling the Border during some of the worst times in our recent history, namely, the Troubles. I know what it is to patrol these crossings in the dead of night. I know the strain that the Garda Síochána is under trying to police these crossings against smuggling, laundering and paramilitaries. It is imperative that extra resources be applied to the region. If the Minister of State is in any doubt, I will take him to see each of these crossings, from Hackballscross to Omeath.

If the Minister does not want to see these achievements unravel, which I am sure he does not, what steps will he take? The people of County Louth deserve to know whether he is prepared to stand up and tackle these serious issues. Is the Minister prepared to allow all of the success in the region to be lost? He does not want the gangsters, smugglers, oil launders, criminals and dissidents to succeed. On behalf of the people of Louth, I would appreciate his help.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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On behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, I thank Deputy Fitzpatrick for raising this matter of significant public importance. Unfortunately, the Minister cannot be present to speak on this issue, as he is chairing a Justice and Home Affairs ministerial meeting in Brussels. He has asked me to address this issue on his behalf.

The House will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel and transport, throughout the organisation and that the Minister has no direct function in the matter. This allocation of resources is constantly monitored by the Commissioner and his senior management in the context of demographics, crime trends, policing needs and other operational strategies in place on district, divisional and regional levels to ensure that optimum use is made of Garda resources.

Garda numbers have been reducing due to the moratorium on recruitment introduced by the previous Government. Its current strength is just under 13,400 members. It is the Minister's objective, despite the significant financial issues facing the Government and the overall reduction in public service numbers, to ensure that Garda numbers will not fall below 13,000. He will be introducing relevant proposals to the Cabinet in the coming weeks to give effect to this.

Regarding Dundalk Garda district, which is in the Louth division, the Commissioner has informed the Minister that 149 gardaí, 45 garda reserves and 23 civilian staff are assigned to it. These resources are further augmented where necessary by a number of Garda national units, such as the Garda traffic unit, the Garda national drugs unit, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations, the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, and other specialised units. There are also 20 vehicles assigned to the district, which are augmented as appropriate and when required from divisional and regional resources.

It goes without saying that no Minister would choose the appalling financial position in which we must operate. In this context, the legacy that the last Fianna Fáil-led Government bequeathed to the country included a series of expenditure ceilings for the justice sector that, if applied, would have resulted in devastating cuts in Garda services over which the Minister would not and could not have stood. The Fianna Fáil national recovery plan was unacceptable and would have put the Garda Commissioner in an impossible position.

Fortunately, the Minister was able to secure additional funding over the three year period 2012 to 2014 to ensure that the Garda Commissioner, and An Garda Síochána, could continue to deliver an effective policing service.

The Minister has already recorded in this House the additional resources that have been made available in the past three years. Overall, had the Minister not obtained this additional finance, the Garda would have stood to lose an average of €90 million each year under the Fianna Fáil plan over the years 2012 to 2014. In 2013 the Garda financial allocation, which in gross terms amounts to more than €1.4 billion, is a substantial amount of money. I can assure the Deputy, and the House, that this allocation will be spent in the most efficient and effective way with the emphasis on the delivery of front­line services. In that general context, a budget of €5 million has been made available in 2013 for the purchase of additional Garda vehicles. The modernisation of the Garda fleet is a crucial part of supporting policing operations throughout the State.

The Minister is determined that the resources of An Garda Síochána will be used in the best, most effective and efficient way possible. He is confident that the primary Garda objective of combating crime will continue to be achieved, and that despite the pressure on the public finances, it will be possible for the force to operate to the optimum benefit of our communities in a manner that will facilitate the prevention and detection of offences.

Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael)
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In Dundalk Garda Station there is only one inspector for the past six years when there should be three. There are seven sergeants when there should be ten. There are 41 gardaí and another 26 are required. The station is short nine cars. Personnel are working ten-hour shifts in five units as per the new rostering arrangements.

Blackrock has one sergeant and three gardaí but no patrol car. Omeath has three gardaí. Carlingford has one sergeant and four gardaí. Omeath and Carlingford have one car between them. Hackballscross has one sergeant and four gardaí. Dromad has one sergeant and seven gardaí. The station is open 24 hours with one garda in the station at all times. Hackballscross and Dromad have one car between them.

There are more than 65,000 citizens in the Dundalk district, which covers more than 45 km of the Border plus 36 crossing points. The Garda deals with murders, robbery, diesel laundering, criminal networks, paramilitaries, dissidents and drug dealers. I do not accept the Minister's reply. We need help. I would appreciate if the Minister could meet with me to discuss the situation.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The commitment of the Garda Commissioner and the Garda Síochána is to maintain operational effectiveness and resilience, but in order to do that, inevitably, as I am sure the Deputy would accept, the work must be prioritised and some difficulties have been made and remain to be made. The Minister, through me, wishes to assure the Deputy and the House that both he and the Garda Commissioner will ensure the maximum possible amount of resources are made available to the Garda and that optimal use is made of them.

On the specific issues the Deputy raised, I am sure he will have an opportunity to raise them directly with the Minister in due course. As he will appreciate, I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, today because he is on important business in Brussels.