Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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This is a very simple issue. I have been in contact with a member of An Garda Síochána who would be very happy, should the opportunity arise, to take up an offer of official accommodation in Buttevant, County Cork. He is a person of impeccable character, as are his family. I have been going around the houses on this issue with the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran. I have asked a number of parliamentary questions as to whether it would be possible to ensure the house in question would be allocated to the individual garda. While it requires some refurbishment, it is nothing major. The case speaks to the wider issue of the significant number of official Garda residences nationally which are empty at this time. With a little investment and refurbishment, it would be possible to place gardaí and their families in these residences which would give them a footprint and a great presence in local communities which might not otherwise have it. There are more than 300 such residences nationally, some of which are occupied, while others are not.

I asked the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, the state of play. I got a lovely letter back from him stating that while Buttevant Garda station is in the ownership of the Commissioners of Public Works, matters relating to Garda accommodation do not come under the remit of his office and are instead a matter for An Garda Síochána. The application came up the line through the ranks of An Garda Síochána and it was sent back down the line again because the Garda was told this was a matter for the OPW.

I am confused. I would dearly love to be able to say to the person who has come to me that their application is being considered seriously because the applicant is a member of the Garda and this is an official Garda residence, but it seems that somewhere it is getting caught between the Department of Justice and Equality and the OPW. It seems that the Commissioners of Public Works, quite simply, do not want to deal with this issue.

I am sure that the Minister of State will tell me here today that it is not necessarily a matter for the Department of Justice and Equality on the basis that it does not have the resources to make such refurbishments of official dwellings, but I would hope that the Government, through the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, who in fairness is a straight man and an honourable person, his colleagues in the Independent Alliance and the Ministers in Fine Gael, would deal with the issue of Garda accommodation because it represents an opportunity to put gardaí and their families into unoccupied residences. For the want of a few bob, and a small few bob at that, it would represent good value for money because it would put gardaí back into the communities, particularly in rural settings.

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, who regrets his absence but who has official commitments at the same time. Both he and I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising it.

It is a good issue for a Topical Issue debate because we all will be aware of villages around the country where there are Garda stations, many of which are still operational and have residences attached or in their grounds. Most of them are in central locations in villages or on the entrance to villages and tend to be landmark buildings where an improvement and use of the accommodation by a garda and his or her family would bring many benefits to the community as well as to the station itself.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. Furthermore, the programme of replacement and refurbishment of Garda accommodation is progressed by the Garda authorities working in close co-operation with the OPW. The Minister has no direct responsibility, as the Deputy pointed out.

There has been significant investment in Garda resources throughout the State in recent years. Considerable efforts are being made by the Government to enhance the working environment generally for members of An Garda Síochána, and major investment has been committed under the capital plan 2016 to 2021 to upgrade Garda premises.

The Garda station building and refurbishment programme is an ambitious five-year programme based on agreed Garda priorities which will benefit more than 30 locations and includes €60 million of Exchequer funding. The programme is providing new stations and modernising older stations at key locations around the country, ensuring a safe, modern working environment for members and staff of the Garda as well as fit-for-purpose facilities for visitors, victims and suspects.

Dwelling units, known as official accommodation properties, are a matter for the Garda authorities in conjunction with the OPW, and the Minister for Justice and Equality has no direct role in these matters. I understand that the Minister has been informed by the Garda authorities that it is a matter for respective divisional officers in An Garda Síochána in the first instance to identify official accommodation properties that require attention before they can be allocated to a member of An Garda Síochána, having regard to the policing needs of the division.

I understand that the Minister is further informed by the Garda authorities that the most recently available survey of official accommodation was completed by An Garda Síochána in conjunction with the OPW in April of 2018. At that point, there were 221 official accommodation properties throughout the State. These properties are attached to or form part of the curtilage of Garda stations, mainly in rural areas. Of this total, the Garda authorities advise that at the time of the survey, 99 official accommodation properties were inhabited and 122 were vacant. Of the vacant units, 12 were considered to be habitable. I am informed that it was considered that the remaining units would require significant investment but that to ascertain the costs involved in bringing these official accommodation properties up to standard, detailed surveys of each property would be required. Any such survey would be a matter for An Garda Síochána in conjunction with the OPW. I understand that An Garda Síochána has advised the Minister that it liaises closely with the OPW on all matters relating to the Garda estate, including official accommodation, having regard to the funding available and the accommodation priorities of An Garda Síochána.

Of the 122 vacant premises, 12 are habitable. That means 110 need substantial work. It would be a wise investment by the OPW. I will certainly bring the point up with the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to see that a programme to redevelop Garda accommodation properties throughout the country would take effect.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I welcome the Minister of State's response. I acknowledge there are limitations. He is not telling me what I want to hear in respect of the particular case.

It would be useful for the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, to know that in his own county of Kilkenny there are nine such premises. I asked the question lately of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. I asked him what number of residences were under his remit and how many were available to An Garda Síochána for official accommodation. He told me, for instance, that there were nine in Kilkenny, 19 in the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's fair county, and 34 in my county. I refer specifically to one such station, which is Buttevant.

The fundamental point is that for the sake of a relatively small investment in terms of the State's resources, an opportunity could be created for members of An Garda Síochána to live within their communities. Even though they may not be stationed there, there would at least be a presence. Families would be housed at the same time.

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Are the numbers Deputy Sherlock gave vacant or totals?

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I need clarification on the numbers that have been furnished to me. I have asked the question. I do not always get a straight answer when I table a question in this House on matters relating to the OPW. The commissioners could be described as semi-autonomous.

The issue is that the matter has gone up the line through An Garda Síochána and has come back down the line. There was a figure involved for refurbishment. It could be argued that the figure mentioned is slightly high for what needs to be done. I would like the issue to be sorted because it represents an opportunity.

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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There is no response other than I agree with Deputy Sherlock that there is an opportunity to get gardaí living in their communities. In addition, these places, mostly villages, have these landmark buildings that are lying vacant. It would be good for those villages to have people living in those buildings as well. I will certainly speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran. What is needed is a scheme of some sort. There has to be, first, a survey of what is required and the cost and then a scheme of funding to update these premises throughout the country.