Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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8. To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [11792/24]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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9. To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [14090/24]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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10. To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [14093/24]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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11. To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [15166/24]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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12. To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [18015/24]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 12, inclusive, together.

A Policing Service for the Future is the Government’s plan to implement the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The implementation of the plan has been overseen by a dedicated programme office in the Department of the Taoiseach and an implementation group on policing reform, chaired by an independent person.

The final phase of the plan is expected to conclude later this year in line with the enhanced governance and accountability framework laid out in the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, which is expected to come into effect this summer. A significant focus of the implementation plan has been concerned with strengthening the internal capabilities of An Garda Síochána in order that the organisation possesses the capacity to drive future reform.

Under the new governance and accountability framework, a non-executive Garda board will be established to help this process and will be complemented by external agencies such as the policing and community safety authority and the reconstituted police ombudsman.

Given that the Report on the Commission of the Future of Policing in Ireland called for greater clarity and coherence in terms of police governance, it will be important to ensure that future governance is as streamlined and clear as possible. This would help to continue the reform process, which has already achieved significant progress including: progressing the operating model for An Garda Síochána, which will enable a more visible, responsive and localised policing service to communities nationwide; the full roll-out of the model in 11 divisions with the remaining ten divisions expected to come on stream later this year; and the conclusion of the three pilot local community safety partnerships in Dublin’s north inner city, Waterford city and county and County Longford which will inform the national roll-out of these arrangements in 2024. Moreover, the Garda workforce was larger at the end of 2023 than at any year before 2019 and recent recruitment has been strong following the Government decision to increase the entry age limit to apply to become a Garda trainee from 35 years to 50 years. There also has been distribution of nearly 15,600 digital communication devices, thereby enabling front-line gardaí to perform their duties without returning to stations, implementation of new human rights structures, strategies and training across the organisation and the introduction of a three-year Garda health and well-being strategy, which recognises the stresses a garda can face and provides assistance to deal with them.

There also has been progress on legislative reform. The landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 provides for the most wide-ranging and coherent reform of policing in a generation. The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act, which concerns the use of recording devices, including body-worn cameras, was signed into law by the President on 5 December 2023 and I believe we will start to see the roll-out of body cameras from next month. In June 2023, the Cabinet approved the drafting of a general scheme for a new Garda Bill on facial recognition technology. This new Bill will deal with the concerns raised on facial recognition technology when it was previously debated in the House. The Garda Síochána (powers) Bill will combine and modernise police powers of search, arrest and detention. In addition, the Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Areas) Act came into law in 2022 to underpin the new Garda operating model. These achievements represent only some of the wide range of actions completed or being progressed.

The implementation group on policing reform is currently focused on concluding the final phase of the reform programme and the arrangements for ensuring the smooth transition to the new statutory governance and oversight arrangements.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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That was a long reply, so we have one minute per person. There are a lot of speakers.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will be brief. No reform programme on earth will be of any value when there is such low morale in the ranks of An Garda Síochána and such a crisis in public confidence. That is the legacy of Fine Gael. Thirteen years on, people the length and breadth of this State do not feel safe. With the inner city, I do not have time. I could write books on it. There has been an abject failure of policing with no feeling of safety or visibility in the communities. It is a disgrace what has happened in Dublin city. But it is not just that. On my travels into rural communities, villages and towns, to my great alarm I am hearing the same story from people on the ground. What is it? The Government shut down Garda stations. People do not see gardaí out and about in relationship and support with the community and people feel unsafe. The Taoiseach can read out all the lists of legislative changes and all of that but numbers are low; too low for the population. The Taoiseach knows all of this. It is a big fail on the part of the supposed party of law and order. Then there is the dysfunctional relationship between the Commissioner, the members of the Garda and the Minister in the middle of it. It is a mess.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I do not know how members of An Garda Síochána can keep on top of the amount of laws there at present. Sometimes we see gardaí involved in situations and ask why they are not implementing, say, section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act or as I was saying in respect of Mount Street, the Roads Act 1993. There is such a vast amount of legislation that people in this House, and, indeed, lawyers, find it hard to keep on top of it. It must be an extraordinary burden for members of An Garda Síochána. It might be worthwhile, in terms of the implementation group, were we to make members of the Garda aware of the fundamental powers that they have. They will never be aware of every statutory provision that exists in our law and they will never be aware of every common law power but we do need to provide them with some succinct details of the nature of the powers they have in order that they can respond to the situations they probably encounter more often than others. On certain occasions, they will have to seek expertise on whether an offence is being committed but in terms of large public order issues, they could be given a succinct account of what laws they can use.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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What plans are there to deal with violence? I am talking about both organised violence, that is, drug dealing, drug-debt intimidation and the wholesale violence that communities have to deal with and disorganised violence. That can be the crime of chaotic families, vulnerable people who are sometimes, for want of a better term, useful idiots who are used by drug gangs. Such chaotic behaviour can really impact communities across the board. I probably spend longer talking to An Garda Síochána than any other State agency. Whether I am talking about the Garda, the council or Tusla, we do not have the supports or resources to deal with these issues. I am going from one end of the criminality spectrum to the other but we have a huge issue. There is poverty, intergenerational trauma and a huge level of drug addiction and drug crime on top of it.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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There are currently delays of up to four or five months to obtain an appointment for an Irish residence permit at the Cork city immigration office at the Anglesea Street Garda station. This is causing havoc for people from outside the European Economic Area, including problems with employers and landlords and with opening bank accounts. For some, it makes it impossible to travel home for family emergencies such as the death of a parent or a serious illness of a child.

There were nearly 9,000 non-EEA nationals living in Cork city in 2022. Many of them play vital roles in the life of the city. This issue was brought to my attention by the Cork Indian nurses. The problem could be solved in several ways. More staff could be allocated for processing permits on Anglesey Street. The Cork city immigration service could be put online, as has been done in Dublin. Appointments could be provided at other immigration offices in County Cork. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister to pay serious attention to this issue so that it can be resolved in a speedy and fair fashion?

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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There is a serious issue with accountability regarding deaths related to the Garda. A reply to a previous parliamentary question stated that between 2007 and 2021 there were 228 fatal incidents either in or shortly after Garda custody. They were referred to GSOC. In 2005 Terrence Wheelock went out to buy a paintbrush. He was arrested by the Garda. He was brought to Store Street Garda station. He died three months later as a result of injuries he got there. The Garda claims he hanged himself but there is considerable evidence, some of which I have previously spoken about, which suggests that is not true. The family continue to campaign for a public inquiry. Does the Taoiseach support that?

Fifteen years later in 2020 George Nkencho's family witnessed him being shot in front of them during a mental health episode. They have not even received the GSOC report into George's death. Will the Taoiseach support them in getting that report and that it should be published?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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An international panel convened by the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights has just produced a report - they are in Dublin - saying that the Irish State had failed to properly investigate a series of deadly attacks by loyalist paramilitaries in Ireland in the early and mid-1970s including the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. They particularly castigated the failure of the Garda and the State to produce the files on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. The anniversary of those massacres is coming up on 17 May. A new documentary film in which the families have been involved will premier shortly. I met one of those family members last week. Indeed, I gave a small amount of money towards the production of film. They are still demanding the Garda files. We know Britain will not release the information. The Garda files on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings have never been furnished to the families or made public. Will the Taoiseach do something about that as we approach the anniversary of those tragic bombings?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am very conscious of the anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings coming up. I will indeed give consideration to the issues that the Deputy has raised and will seek to be briefed on the matters in advance of the anniversary. I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising that.

I am reluctant to comment on the floor of the Dáil on the individual cases Deputy Paul Murphy raised. I will consider both of them and will reply to him in writing when I get an up-to-date position from the Minister for Justice on that.

Deputy Barry spoke about the Anglesey Street office and the permits. Particularly regarding the ongoing debates on migration in this country, his comments about the benefits that many of the people from outside the European Union and the EEA are making to life in Cork city and county are important. I want to be associated with those remarks. He referenced Indian nurses and we see the benefit of migration in all our communities. The point he made about the delays in accessing permits in the Anglesey Street office and the three suggestions he made about staffing, moving it online and appointments at other offices are issues I will discuss with the Minister. We will revert to the Deputy in writing to see if any assistance can be provided.

Deputy Ó Murchú highlighted the range of issues he comes across as a constituency TD in terms of the spectrum of need, some in the criminal justice space, some in the Garda space, but also some in the rehabilitation space and the Tusla space. At the heart of what we want to do with community safety partnerships is to recognise that so that in a county like Louth, we can bring together all the State agencies, local actors and local organisation to ask what we can do in our county. We plan to roll out those community safety partnerships this year.

Deputy Jim O'Callaghan made a very interesting point. I am very conscious of the level of change experienced by rank-and-file members of An Garda Síochána in a short space of time. There have been changes in structure and in law, but also change in some of the realities they face as they go about their duties. Through my Department's role on policing reform, I will certainly raise that with officials to see how we can make the reforms and strategies, which get discussed in offices far from the front line, more real and more accessible to rank and file members of An Garda Síochána.

Deputy McDonald asked about Garda morale. The best way to tackle that issue and support the Garda is to increase the garda numbers. I know she will agree with that point. We all want to increase garda numbers. We have taken a number of actions to do that. We have increased the training allowance quite significantly. We have increased the age of entry for An Garda Síochána from 35 to 50. We are increasing the retirement age also. We have seen a very strong response in the latest Garda recruitment campaign with more than 6,300 people applying to become gardaí. There is no doubt the Covid pandemic disrupted the pattern of recruitment and the pipeline through Templemore. We are beginning to see that rectify itself now. I expect 2024 to be the year in which we see a garda numbers grow which is important to urban and rural communities.