Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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A decision was made in 2012 by the then Garda Commissioner with the consent of the Minister for Justice and Equality. At the time, I described it as the worst decision made in policing in County Wexford since independence. I will provide the Minister of State with some background.

The current Garda district of Gorey and Enniscorthy is now the Enniscorthy Garda district. I held a meeting at the time with the assistant commissioner, Jack Nolan. Our figures showed a population of 85,000. Let us put that in context. That is larger than the populations of counties Carlow, Longford, Westmeath, Leitrim, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, Cavan, Offaly or Laois. Some of those counties have a single Garda district. Carlow has a population of 55,000, Leitrim has a population of 32,000 and Laois has 78,000. The Gorey Garda district has a population of 85,000. It is too large.

We have a problem with crime and with the area being the largest growth area in the county by a long way. We also have a problem with it being a significant tourist area. I will set out another statistic. In the 2011 census, the Courtown area registered a population of 5,500 and some 4,000 homes, 52% of which were unoccupied. There are difficulties and problems. The decision dating from 2012 on the part of the Minister for Justice and Equality at the time and the Garda Commissioner at the time was terrible.

All five Deputies and Senators at the time said that it was a bad idea. Moreover, today, all five sitting Deputies want to have the Gorey Garda district reinstated to the status it had prior to the decision in 2012. At the time there was one district in Gorey, one district in Enniscorthy, one superintendent and various ancillary staff.

The original decision in 2012 was to reduce all staff above the rank of sergeant. The civilian staff, four in number, along with the inspector were to go with the superintendent as well. It was correct that that did not happen and I believe that was a good decision. Now, what is badly required is to go the rest of the way, which means the full reinstatement of the district with a 24-hour station, a superintendent, inspectors, sergeants and the appropriate number of gardaí for a fast-growing area.

The population of the Gorey area increased at twice the national average in the period 2011 to 2016. It also increased at 2.5 times the rate of growth for County Wexford as a whole. We know that 52% of the population increase in County Wexford has been in the Gorey area alone. The area is growing fast and strongly.

It is now time to rescind the decision going back to 2012 made in line with the programme for Government. It is now time to reinstate the Gorey Garda district fully. We need one district, one superintendent and one or two inspectors, as appropriate, depending on the population base. We need to do this correctly. It was a bad mistake and now is the time to rectify it. The decision is now with the Garda authorities.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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On behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. The Tánaiste sends her apologies because, unfortunately, she cannot be here today.

The Deputy will be aware that following the completion by An Garda Síochána of a comprehensive review of its district and station network, the Garda district and station rationalisation programme gave rise to the closure of 139 Garda stations in 2012 and 2013 and the amalgamation of 32 districts into 16 larger districts. That review was undertaken with the objective of identifying opportunities to introduce strategic reforms to enhance service delivery, increase efficiency and streamline practices within the organisation. The review concluded that a revised district and station network commensurate with the organisation's resource base would best meet public demand.

The Tánaiste has been informed by the Garda authorities that the closures have allowed front-line gardaí to be managed and deployed with greater mobility and flexibility and in a more focused fashion, especially with regard to various targeted police operations.

In November 2013, the Gorey district was amalgamated with the Enniscorthy district, resulting in an enlarged Enniscorthy district. I understand that no station within the former Gorey district was closed. The Garda authorities have confirmed to the Tánaiste that the district officer at Enniscorthy, in conjunction with the inspector at Gorey, ensures that the policing arrangements within the Gorey area are effectively managed on an ongoing basis and that there is no diminution in the policing service provided within the context of existing available resources in the area. Local Garda management continues to monitor the allocation of resources closely to ensure optimum use is made of Garda resources and to ensure the best possible policing service continues to be provided to the public. This situation will be kept under review.

Having said that, the Government has recognised in A Programme for a Partnership Government that community policing is the embodiment of An Garda Síochána. The Government envisages the force providing a means of recognising that every community, urban and rural, has its own concerns and expectations. The document commits the Government to ensuring visible, effective and responsive policing in every community, including through ensuring the most minimal response times possible.

In support of this objective, the Deputy will be aware that the Policing Authority has been asked to oversee a review of the dispersal of Garda stations in rural areas as well as in developing urban and suburban areas. The purpose is to ensure an efficient and optimum geographical distribution of stations and minimal response times. The review will take account of station closures since 2012. I note what the Deputy said about the growth of the area in question.

These measures cannot be viewed in isolation from the Government's overarching commitment to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. In furtherance of these aims, in July 2016 the Government approved the proposal from the Tánaiste for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. In addition, the Government's capital plan for 2016-21 provides €205 million for investment in Garda information and communications infrastructure and €46 million for investment in the Garda fleet. Taken together, I believe the above measures reinforce the Government's commitment to enabling significant reform in An Garda Síochána and to allowing the force to provide a high-profile and visible policing service for our communities.

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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There was not much in that reply about Garda district amalgamations. That was what my question was about. That is an ongoing criticism I make about the quality of answers.

More than half the population of the county is in one district. Wexford is a big county. I will provide some statistics. There has been a 100% increase in drugs detected in the three years since the districts were merged. Theft is up by 25%.

The area is challenged. I see drug dealing on the streets in broad daylight. I see it outside my office on Main Street in Gorey. Ever since the decision was made I have campaigned vigorously to put one person in charge of this area. That someone is in charge of this area operating from another district means he does not do as good a job as a person from the area.

By all accounts, Operation Thor has turned out to be a success. There is high visibility and the Minister of State has touched on that. However, there is a more highly visible way in which to impact on criminality in the area where I live. It is to ensure a superintendent is in charge of the district. In that way, the district looks after itself. I do not mean to be disrespectful to anyone but someone from somewhere else will look after his primary area first. Gorey is now the second largest town in Wexford. The population in Courtown is in the district too, and that area has the fifth largest population in Wexford. Enniscorthy town is in the larger district. The current district is too big and unwieldy. A mistake was made. I appeal to the Minister of State to bring my strongly held views back to the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, the Garda authorities and others.

The joint policing committee in Wexford has met. It is fully supportive of the reinstatement of the Garda district. As I said, all of the five sitting Wexford Deputies fully support this. The closure of the district was a mistake. It is now time to rectify that mistake in line with the programme for Government, which promised to review the 2012 consolidation of Garda districts.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I again thank the Deputy for bringing this matter to the floor of the House. As I said in my initial response, the Garda district and station rationalisation programme took place. That followed the completion by the Garda of a comprehensive review of its district and station network. That gave rise to the amalgamation of 32 districts into 16 larger districts, as I said. That was done to ensure that the organisation’s resource base would best meet public demand. The Tánaiste has been advised that the revised structures have allowed front-line gardaí to be managed and deployed with greater mobility and flexibility and in a more focused fashion, particularly with regard to various targeted operations. However, as I also said, the Policing Authority has been asked to oversee a review of, among other things, the dispersal of Garda stations in rural areas and in developing urban and suburban areas, as the Deputy has described. I certainly will bring this matter to the attention of the Tánaiste as the Deputy has requested.

The creation of an enlarged Enniscorthy district in November 2013 did not give rise to the closure of any station in the former Gorey district. The Tánaiste has been assured that there is diminution in the policing service provided within the context of its existing available resources in the area. In addition, local Garda management keeps under review the allocation of resources in the area as well. As I informed the Deputy, the Government is fully committed, in line with the programme for Government, to ensuring visible, effective and responsive policing in every community, including the most minimum response times possible. This commitment is underscored by the Government's accelerated recruitment programme and the ongoing major investment in the Garda fleet and the ICT infrastructure of An Garda Síochána, which will facilitate a provision of high visibility and mobile policing services to communities. Taken together with the ongoing Garda modernisation renewal programme, these measures will better equip An Garda Síochána and facilitate the provision of a 21st century policing service that fully meets the expectation of our communities. I will bring the matter to the attention of the Tánaiste. I am sure that the Policing Authority and the Garda Commissioner will also be taking note of what the Deputy has raised today.

With the indulgence of the Chairman, I welcome to the Visitors Gallery, from the area in which I live, a school group from St. Colman's community college, Midleton.