Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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4. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will address concerns that the existing Garda station in Clonmel is not fit for purpose, if she will escalate relocation works aimed at addressing the problem and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7940/17]

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I want to ask the Minister about the progress that has been made in relocating Clonmel Garda station from its current early 19th century building in Clonmel, which is totally unfit for purpose, to the former Army barracks.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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With regard to the proposed new station, I am advised that the Office of Public Works is in the process of acquiring part of the site at the former Kickham Barracks from Tipperary County Council. In the meantime - I am sure the Deputy is very familiar with this - a range of refurbishments has been going on. I hope to visit Clonmel in the near future because I am very concerned about the state of some of our Garda stations. I have been meeting with the relevant people from the Office of Public Works, An Garda Síochána and my Department in order to ensure that work is progressed. There is clearly a strong need for relocation given the situation there. When I announced the programme in October 2015 with my colleague, the Minister of State at the Office of Public Works, it included an extensive programme of upgrades to the Garda station network, including works to the existing station at Clonmel. I have also given the Deputy the details of the work that is being done with regard to a new station.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for committing to visit Clonmel when I asked her to about three weeks ago. One cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Clonmel Garda station is draconian and unfit for purpose. As I said, it is an early 19th century building. The public office is not as big as the Clerk's table in front us in the House. It is tiny. It was refurbished lately in small bits. However, the building is higgledy-piggledy and people are always up and down stairs. The cells are not fit for purpose. Interview rooms and meeting rooms are the same. It does not have the facilities for the gardaí.

I welcome the Minister's commitment to visit Clonmel. The site has been acquired by the county council. The old Army barracks is a very proud site and a very emotional issue for Clonmel. Some 1,000 incidents per month are dealt with by Clonmel Garda station. It is a huge district. It covers Carrick-on-Suir, Fethard and out to Clerihan. We also acknowledge new recruits that have arrived recently. More are on their way. They were badly needed. There is an excellent Garda workforce under superintendent Willie Leahy and his team. The building is antiquated. They are waiting for so long.

There were big hopes when the former Minister, Mr. Alan Shatter, announced the move to the Kickham Barracks site three or four years ago, but nothing has happened. The Minister is working with the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, as am I, to try to achieve that. It is part of a public-private partnership along with other stations. My fear, the fear of the gardaí and the fear of the public I represent in Clonmel and Tipperary is that there are too many projects in that bundle and that other projects might not be at as advanced a stage as Clonmel. We need a big push. We have been talking about the Garda all week. Gardaí need to be supported. They need proper working conditions and so does the public that uses that station.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that it is intended that a new district headquarters will be developed in Clonmel by means of a public private partnership. That is obviously linked to the site acquisition. The proposed new station will form part of a number of stations that are to be built by means of public private partnership. That includes new developments at Sligo and Macroom. We want a new regional headquarters in Sligo as well. I have been at some of the meetings myself because I brought the different groups from the OPW, the Garda and the Department of Justice and Equality together to discuss the building programme and to make sure that it now moves ahead in a timely way. We do want to deliver these new builds. I entirely take the point that Deputy McGrath is making in that there is a need for a new premises and there is only so much that refurbishment can do in the context of the facilities there at the moment.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I cannot express enough how vital it is. The retired superintendent, Mr. John Courtney, the chief superintendent Catherine Kehoe and all the inspectors and officers need it. It is a draconian building totally unfit for purpose in every way. The only good thing about it is its location. It is located in the right place. However, An Garda Síochána does not own the building. It belongs to the county council. The move to the Army barracks is necessary for a number of reasons. Above all, it is primarily for An Garda Síochána and the public. We need to secure that new site. I would have thought that it would have been purchased from the county council at this stage because we need a modern district headquarters with all the different aspects. It would be lovely to have something like the equine unit placed there when we have a spacious site.

I am pressing this issue on the Minister. I look forward to her visit at the earliest opportunity so she can see for herself. I accompanied the former Minister, Mr. Brian Lenihan, there when he was the Minister, God rest him. It is so bad and so unfit for purpose. The gardaí, the lay staff and the public are all entitled to some modicum of a decent building for public service.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The intention is to move ahead as speedily as possible once the final agreement is reached on the site. The estimated cost of the Clonmel station is some €7 million. In the meantime, there is some essential refurbishment and upgrading being considered at present, such as the cells. There is also a need for new changing areas as well. Those are interim proposals pending the development of the new headquarters. I can confirm that it is part of the public private partnership and once the issue of the site is finalised, it will probably take between 12 and 18 months before there is a new station there. We need to move ahead as quickly as possible. The key issue is to make sure that the site is available because we are committed to the public private partnership.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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The Minister will be coming down with good news.