Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this very topical issue of the re-opening of Stepaside Garda station. This station was one of those closed between 2012 and 2013 when 139 were shut due to budget cuts. I have always opposed the closing of this Garda station and I endeavoured, particularly during the general election campaign, to say to the residents of Stepaside that I am very committed to having this Garda station re-opened, although I could never give a guarantee in that regard. The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality has said there will be a review in May and I very much welcome that. I have a number of questions for the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee.

There is a good argument, as far as I am concerned and as far as the Policing Authority should be concerned, for the re-opening of this particular Garda station above and beyond any other one. There is a 10% increase in population - 2,632 people in Stepaside itself.

I also take this opportunity to mention the Stepaside business people, who seem to have been lost in all of the media coverage of this Garda station and who started the petition. Mr. Des Kennedy was one of them. There is Mr. Michael Fleming, there is Garda Pat Cullen, who has acted as a community garda liaison, and Mr. John McCluskey of The Step Inn. I refer to many of the residents' committees, such as of Leopardstown Hall, Sandyford Hall and The Gallops.

There have been a lot of issues regarding the exploitation of the fact that there is no Garda station in the Stepaside area. We have had incidents at Halloween. Ms Antonette Cunningham, who is the vice president of the AGSI, criticised the station's closure and cited a significant increase in burglaries in the area, and I am very concerned about that. It was reported last year that there was a 50% increase in burglaries recorded in the general environs of Stepaside since the closure of this Garda station, and with the growing population and an increased demographic, it is clear that this community needs a Garda station.

The questions I would like to put to the Minister are as follows. Why was the report's publication delayed for so long? It is now four years since the closure of this Garda station. The review is taking so long.

What criteria will be used to determine which Garda stations will be re-opened? Obviously, there is a concern in Stepaside. The Policing Authority is an autonomous authority and has to be independent. Even so, I would like to know what criteria will determine which Garda station will re-open.

How long is it expected to take, following the publication of the Garda review in May, for the six pilot Garda stations which have been outlined in the programme for Government to be picked? How long will that pilot period be? What factors will determine whether the stations will remain open after the pilot period?

Will the stations to be re-opened under the pilot scheme be upgraded and refurbished as per the programme for Government's promise for, "new and refurbished Garda Stations throughout the country, which will be critical to delivering effective policing". That is enunciated quite clearly in the programme for Government. I was involved in those negotiations. I would like to see whether that will be delivered in the case of Stepaside Garda station if that station is picked as a pilot station.

What level of staffing will be given to the re-opened stations? There is no point in having a Garda station that is not manned. If Stepaside Garda station is successful in being picked by the Policing Authority, I would like to know whether it will be staffed. I note there is Operation Thor, but there is some comfort to be taken by the people knowing that gardaí are there in the station available to take calls when its needed.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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On behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality who, unfortunately, cannot be here, I apologise and thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I will not be able to answer all of the Deputy's questions but I have taken note of them, and those that I cannot answer, I will bring back to the Tánaiste.

The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to her, including regarding Garda stations.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Síochána district and station rationalisation programme gave rise to the closure of some 139 Garda stations in 2012 and 2013, following the completion by An Garda Síochána of a comprehensive review of its district and station network. 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 Tánaiste has been informed by the Garda authorities that the closures have allowed front-line gardaí to be managed and deployed with greater mobility, greater flexibility and in a more focused fashion, particularly with regard to various targeted police operations.

The programme for Government commits the Government to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. A cornerstone of this commitment is the Government plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda Reserve members and 4,000 civilians.

Revisiting the decisions made to close Garda stations at the depths of the recession is also part of that commitment. In this context, the Tánaiste, as the Deputy correctly pointed out, has requested the Garda Commissioner, while fully cognisant of her statutory functions, to identify six stations for re-opening on a pilot basis to determine possible positive impacts that such openings will have on criminal activity, with special emphasis on burglaries, theft and public order. The pilot will feed into the wider review being undertaken by the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, at the request of the Policing Authority, of the dispersal and use of resources available to An Garda Síochána in the delivery of policing services to local communities.

I understand that work is continuing in An Garda Síochána to identify the six stations for inclusion in the pilot - unfortunately, I cannot inform the Deputy of some of the criteria of how they are picked - and that consultations have taken place with relevant stakeholders, including the Policing Authority. I also understand that the Tánaiste expects to receive a report from the Commissioner by the end of May in connection with the exercise.

While I can appreciate that the Deputy would wish that the process was completed sooner, I am sure she will agree that a comprehensive and evidence-based analysis should be carried out, taking account of all the relevant factors, before a final decision is made in respect of the stations to be reopened by the Commissioner. I am sure the residents in Stepaside would agree that such a process is probably extremely important and worthwhile.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, for her response to my queries.

I appreciate, as I stated earlier, that the Policing Authority is autonomous and that we cannot predetermine the outcome of its review of Garda stations. Having said that, I would like to know the Minister's response to me not being allowed know the criteria for the reopening or otherwise of a Garda station. While I accept the Minister saying it is evidence based, I do not understand why I am not allowed to know what the criteria are. It would be helpful for the residents to know that. As the Minister can appreciate, the Stepaside area and the suburbs, because it has become such a national issue and the media have been so strongly talking about it, has been exposed for over four years at this stage and the residents are concerned that it is left as an own-goal for vandalism, hooligans and robberies. I would like to be able to tell them the criteria that will be used by the Policing Authority. In some way, we may be able to help the Policing Authority in informing its decision that Stepaside is a valid Garda station to be re-opened, not only on a pilot basis but on a permanent basis, and as I said, that it would be a refurbished Garda station because the building itself needs significant work and that it would be staffed on a daily basis so that it will be in a position to take calls when there is an incident in the area. I would be grateful if the Minister could answer those questions.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that there are 139 stations and communities that would also like to know the criteria and would also like to be included in this pilot scheme. I suppose everybody would have some merit in being included in the scheme. I am not aware of whether or not the Tánaiste has the criteria or whether or not she is allowed to let that information out to various different areas.

I stress the Government's commitment to ensuring that there is a strong and visible presence of the police force on the ground within the stations supporting the communities. I stress the commitment of the workforce of over 21,000 personnel by 2021.

I understand the Deputy's frustration on this issue. I suppose reports generally tend to take longer than we would like but there is the commitment that this report will be finalised by the end of May.

Of course, I will bring Deputy Madigan's concerns and the various questions that she asked that I have not been able to answer to the attention of the Tánaiste and ask her to respond to the Deputy directly.