Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I really must raise this issue again. First, I pay tribute to a very sad victim who fell into the river, or was located in the river, in Carrick-on-Suir under the district of Clonmel superintendent Willie Leahy and his sergeant and staff in Carrick-on-Suir. I pay tribute to the public, the Civil Defence and everyone else involved. Carrick-on-Suir River Rescue carried out a huge search for nine days and located her body. The funeral of this little 14 year old from Carrick-on-Suir was today. I salute the Garda Síochána for co-ordinating the whole event, tragic as it was. Thankfully, her remains have been located. The funeral was very sad.

I salute the local Garda because they do tremendous work daily under Superintendent Leahy, the sergeant in charge and all the other gardaí. However, the Minister for Justice and Equality has seen the conditions in the station. I hope we will hear good news from him today.

In 2012, the then Minister, Alan Shatter, and the then Minister of State, Tom Hayes, announced that there would be a new station and that it was moving to a new site. The old Army barracks was a proud system of defence and served the people in Tipperary so it will be a wonderful location for a new station. The then Minister and Minister of State announced the project at the time and, unfortunately, Mr. Hayes said the funding would be provided in the following round. That was in 2012 under the capital funding project. Nonetheless, we did not see the station open.

Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran is now the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW. There is a bundle of stations in Sligo, one in Cork and one elsewhere. There are some technical delays on land issues and disputes over rights of way and so on. However, the people of Clonmel and the Garda Síochána deserve better. Tipp FM recently went into the site and was shocked, as is anyone who visits it. It is a Dickensian building, hundreds of years old, and is on lease from the county council, which incidentally wants the building back. To make matters worse, it is a listed building. I acknowledge the Minister for Justice and Equality has provided upgrades to some of the toilet facilities and some of the cells in recent times and rented another building down the town as well. He had to do so because there is neither the space nor the equipment in the site and it is higgledy-piggledy upstairs and downstairs. It is not in any way suitable for the public or An Garda Síochána. The space in the public office is not as big as the three seats beside me. If a woman with a buggy or a family comes in, people must come in and sign on, get passports stamped, get driving licence or whatever else alongside them. There is no privacy for people to do their business. If there are people there who are out on bail on serious crimes, they could be in the same restricted area. It is unfair and unfit and it has gone on for too long.

I do not want any more announcements from the Minister. I do not expect him to make any, in fairness. I want to see the contract signed and the sod turned in order that the Garda can move into the building. Tús maith, leath na hoibre. Let the building proceed. I know it will take some time from the time the builder is appointed and the procurement process is all gone through to the work starting, but we want to see the work start and the contract signed. No one is more anxious about this than me. I have not made announcements about it but I have been on to the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, and before him the then Minister of State, Deputy Canney, about the matter. We must get this for the public and the Garda Síochána in Tipperary. I salute them and the morale they have maintained as they are expected to go in and work in these conditions. No one, whether us here, factory workers or workers from any other institution, would work in such conditions because they could not. It is totally unsuitable from an IT, personnel and fire safety point of view. They must stand up on a toilet bowl to get out of the window at one of the fire escapes. It is beyond talking about. It is time we moved on and got this modern building to serve modern times to allow all ranks of the Garda Síochána to give the service they want to give to the people of Clonmel and Tipperary.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I offer my condolences and the condolences of the Government to the family of Elisha Gault, whose body was found in Carrick-on-Suir. I offer my sympathy to her parents, Cameron and Gráinne, and to her extended family and I pay tribute to the Garda Síochána, the Coast Guard and the hundreds of volunteers in the south Tipperary area who engaged in the search. It was a dreadful tragedy for the family and the community.

I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this important issue. As he will be aware, the programme of replacement and refurbishment of Garda accommodation is progressed by the Garda authorities working in close co-operation with the Office of Public Works. Deputy McGrath will also be aware of the significant efforts being made by the Government to enhance the working environment for members of An Garda Síochána and of the major investment that has been committed under the Capital Plan 2016-2021 to upgrade Garda premises. The Garda building and refurbishment programme, an ambitious five-year programme based on agreed Garda priorities, continues to benefit over 30 locations around the country. The programme includes over €60 million of Exchequer funding as well as a major public private partnership to deliver stations in Macroom and Sligo and, from Deputy McGrath's perspective, more importantly, at Clonmel.

Two site transfers are involved in the Clonmel development. It is proposed the new Clonmel development will be built on part of the former Kickham Barracks site, which has been acquired by Tipperary County Council, and arrangements to transfer the appropriate ownership to the Office of Public Works are well in train. In addition, the OPW owns a building immediately adjacent to the entrance and a portion of that site needs to be transferred to the county council in order to facilitate the overall development of the site. An important element of the plan involves the widening of the existing main entrance to the barracks site. The OPW has actively engaged with the council and a revised entrance arrangement solution has been identified. In addition, the council has demolished an existing site hut in order to bring clarity to the site boundary. I was pleased to visit the area before Christmas. The Office of Public Works is engaging with the council in order to complete the necessary legal documentation regarding the two site transfers involved.

I understand that acquisition by the OPW of the site for Macroom is complete and that acquisition of sites for Clonmel and Sligo are well advanced. Once completed, the development of the public private partnership bundle will be progressed actively under the auspices of the National Development Finance Agency. Pending development of the new station in Clonmel, a project to upgrade the cells and custody facilities in the existing Garda station is well advanced. This comprises the refurbishment of four cells to modern standards and the installation of a prisoner shower facility. Arrangements to source alternative accommodation for locker facilities during the construction are being finalised by the Office of Public Works.

I do not disagree with anything Deputy McGrath has said about the conditions in Clonmel Garda station. I am really anxious that this matter be advanced and progressed at the earliest opportunity. I assure Deputy McGrath that I am fully committed to proceeding with the major investment programme that aims to provide new Garda stations and to modernise older Garda stations at key locations around the country, including Clonmel, in order that we can ensure a safe, modern working environment for Garda as well as fit-for-purpose facilities for visitors, victims, suspects and those engaged in the daily business at a Garda station.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for extending sympathy on behalf of the Government to the family of Elisha Gault and saluting all of the emergency people, volunteers and co-ordinators under Superintendent Willie Leahy and Kevin Langton, a good Laois-Offaly man, who is the principal of the secondary school she attended, Comeragh College in Carrick-on-Suir.

We know where I am coming from. I am speaking about the conditions and I am glad the Minister accepts it. They are Third World conditions which are not suitable. I worry when I hear about the OPW and the procurement of two bits of sites and widening the entrance. I know how planning permission happens. This has to be done. I accept completely the Minister's bona fides but I want to see procurement of the bundle of the three stations in Sligo, Macroom and Clonmel finalised. It would be a pity for one to hold up the others for so long. If this is the case perhaps we can change bundles. It is so near now and yet so far. For the morale of the force and the public in Tipperary they must see activity on the site. The new site, which was the old Kickham Barracks, is a model site in pristine condition with a huge tradition of service to the public not only in Tipperary but the United Nations and everywhere, at times of flood or emergency. That is gone. It would be nice to see the lights on and a new functioning Garda station. I would go so far as to say, because it is a spacious site, that the Minister should consider locating the horse element of An Garda Síochána there. We have plenty of mountains to train them in the foothills of the Comeraghs and Slievenamon. I am happy with the Minister's reply but I will be coming back to this week in week out because I want to see the documents signed and the preferred contractor for the bundle appointed, and let the work begin. Let An Garda Síochána in Clonmel and Tipperary be in a half respectable position for themselves and their own health, well-being and safety to deliver the top-class service they always do for the people of Tipperary.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this issue. I bow to his superior knowledge in the matter of horse training and the equine division of the Garda Síochána, but I acknowledge the diligence, commitment and very hard work the gardaí in Clonmel and south Tipperary undertake on a 24-7 basis. I would like to see this project advancing at the earliest opportunity. As I mentioned, the preparatory works relating to the new Garda station in Clonmel are progressing well. I am anxious to ensure the OPW engages actively, importantly and urgently with the county council to complete the necessary documentation regarding the two site transfers involved. I visited the Garda station before Christmas. I understand the circumstances in the station and I understand the need for a new Garda station in Clonmel. I assure the House and Deputy McGrath in particular that in conjunction with the Office of Public Works we will do everything to advance this project at the earliest opportunity. I expect the public private partnership project will get under way this year, but I am happy to keep Deputy McGrath fully informed on the technical developments as far as the matter of the transfer of the site is concerned and with regard to the legal documentation to ensure the contract can be completed and the builders can be on site at the earliest opportunity. It is overdue and I want it done.