Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I move the following Revised Estimates:

Last week, I received Government approval to sign a series of statutory instruments required to support the commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. I intend to commence the Act tomorrow, 2 April 2025. This will give full effect to the legislation the Oireachtas last year to underpin the important recommendations made by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The Act provides an extensive new governance and accountability framework for policing and community safety and ultimately supports the work of An Garda Síochána and others to keep the people of this country safe.

I am very pleased that we are able to introduce the necessary changes to ensure we have a modern and effective police service equipped for the times we live in but which also respects and upholds the traditions and service to the public and the community policing ethos on which it was founded. When I commence the Act tomorrow, we will have: a new Garda board; the Policing and Community Safety Authority, An tÚdarás Póilíneachta agus Sábháilteachta Pobail, which will replace the existing Policing Authority and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate; the Office of the Police Ombudsman, Fiosrú, which will be replacing the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC; a new office of the independent examiner of security legislation; and a new national office for community safety.

To ensure that these new and reformed bodies can operate effectively and independently in the manner intended by the Oireachtas, we need to establish two new Votes for the Policing and Community Safety Authority, and Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman. All of this will require some consequential changes to the Vote for the Department of Justice. Earlier today, my colleague the Minister, Deputy Chambers, received Government approval for the moving of this motion in the House to seek the approval of Members to establish the required Votes and make the necessary financial adjustments. This is vital to ensure that the necessary financial management and accounting arrangements are put in place for these new bodies from day one and that they have access to the necessary funds to enable them to carry out their important responsibilities and functions.

Ordinarily, the Dáil would refer this matter to the justice committee for its consideration. As the committee is yet to be established, however, I am asking Deputies to approve this motion to ensure there is no delay in the commencement of the Act and the standing up of these bodies with their new and enhanced functions. It is important for me to say there are no additional moneys being allocated today from what was set out in the published Revised Estimates for 2025. Instead, we are reallocating some of those funds to the correct Votes in the justice sector group in line with what the Act provides for.

I will now provide some detail on the two organisations we are dealing with. First, is the Policing and Community Safety Authority. That new authority is established under Part 4 of the Act, which also deals with the dissolution of the Policing Authority and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate. The oversight and inspection functions of these two bodies are being broadly merged into the new authority. This will strengthen and consolidate independent external oversight of An Garda Síochána. The authority will be responsible for overseeing and assessing, in an independent and transparent manner, the performance of An Garda Síochána as it relates to policing services. The objective is to support the effective provision and continuous improvement of such services to the benefit of the public's safety. It is also required to keep me, as Minister for Justice, informed of developments in respect of matters relating to policing services and to make recommendations to assist me in co-ordinating and developing policy in that regard.

As Deputies will be aware, the current authority has its own Vote, namely Vote 41. What is being proposed is that the new Policing and Community Safety Authority will take over that Vote and the existing funding already in place for the Policing Authority for 2025. This amounts to €4.636 million. As already stated, the inspection functions of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate are being broadly merged into those of the new authority. Therefore, it is proposed to reallocate the inspectorate's funding allocation for 2025 from the Department of Justice Vote - Vote 24 - which amounts to €1.522 million, to Vote 41.

As a result the total funding allocation for the Policing and Community Safety Authority for 2025 will be €6.158 million.

The second body being established is Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman. Part 5 of the Act reconstitutes GSOC as Fiosrú. The reformed police complaints body will also have an expanded remit and a new leadership structure. The current three-person commission is being replaced by single head of the organisation, the Police Ombudsman, supported by a deputy Police Ombudsman and a chief executive officer. Deputies may recall that resolutions were passed in the Houses last July to recommend Ms Emily Logan, the current GSOC commissioner as the first Police Ombudsman, following an open public jobs competition. She will be formally appointed to this role by President Higgins tomorrow when the Act is commenced. The public jobs competition to recruit the deputy Police Ombudsman is under way and I aim to be back in the House in the coming weeks with the necessary resolution to take the recommendation for appointment of a successful candidate.

To further reinforce its independence Fiosrú is being given greater financial independence through the establishment of its own Vote. Its new chief executive officer will be the Accounting Officer for that Vote. GSOC is currently funded from the Vote 24, the Department of Justice. The total budget allocation for GSOC in 2025 of €20.667 million is proposed to be reallocated from Vote 24 to the new fiosrú Vote, Vote 46. In summary I am today asking the House to establish the new Vote 46 for fiosrú and to reallocate €20.67 million from Vote 24 to this new Vote 46.

I am also asking the House to rename Vote 41 from the Policing Authority to An tÚdarás Póilíneachta agus Sábháilteachta Pobail, the Policing and Community Safety Authority, with the existing funding allocation of €4.636 million and to reallocate €1.522 million from Vote 24 to Vote 41 because of the merging of the functions of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate into the new authority. Vote 41 will have a total allocation of €6.158 million for 2025.

As a consequence of the changes outlined, Vote 24, Department of Justice, will have a total allocation of €546.339 million for 2025. I commend this motion to the House and ask it to approve these necessary financial arrangements to support the imminent commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, the establishment of the policing and community safety authority and the reconstitution of GSOC as Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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We are here to deal with the Revised Estimates for Votes 24, 41 and 46, which are justice-related Votes concerning the Department and the Policing Authority. I would have liked to raise numerous things with the Minister today. However, given what we saw unfold outside the gates of this building just yesterday, I want to raise that matter with him today. Most of us who work here will be well aware of Mothers Against Genocide who regularly maintain a vigil outside the gates of this house. They continue to raise the issue of the ongoing and genocide in Gaza. On Sunday night they began a peaceful protest to coincide with Mother's Day - the type of protest that was happening in cities across Ireland. In Galway, for example, many mothers, including my own mother, also marked Mother's Day by remembering mothers in Gaza who were brutally murdered or whose children were brutally murdered.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I am loath to interrupt, but I believe relevance might be an issue with regard to the Estimates debate.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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Because this is about how we are funding the Policing Authority, I think it is relevant.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Okay.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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We know that these women, who proudly and strongly stand with the mothers in Palestine, were armed with roses, placards and the courage of their convictions. They took their position there to display images of Gazan children. We have all heard of the force and very heavy-handed tactics that were used against them. It really shocked most people to see that happen. Many of these women were arrested and were subjected to different types of treatment. Some of them have contacted my office and told me that they were strip-searched, something I find deeply concerning. One woman contacted my office in relation to a cavity search, which again is deeply concerning.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I do not wish to interrupt, but I point to relevance. This is a debate about funding and the Estimates. The matter the Deputy is discussing should be brought to GSOC as opposed to the Minister at this point. I ask her to stick to the topic of Estimates and funding.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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If we are talking about funding-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Yes, but there needs to be relevance to that funding and to the Estimates. To be fair, what you are discussing relates more to making complaints to GSOC.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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I understand that is happening.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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If that is happening, then I ask the Deputy to stick to the debate. I do not believe it has relevance.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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I think it has relevance but I have raised most of what I wanted to raise here at this point-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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-----so I will move on with other issues of serious lack of funding for policing across Galway. One of the clear issues that was just raised with me again today is the lack of gardaí in Galway. The gardaí who work in Galway do their absolute best and do their utmost, but there is an inability to contact gardaí because there simply are not enough. When we are talking about the amount of funding that we have available across the State, and if we are talking about the likes of Galway, we need to make sure that we are adequately funding the number of gardaí that we have as well. People should easily be able to access gardaí when they need to.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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As the Minister said, the motion is necessitated by the commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. He will be aware that Sinn Féin expressed a number of concerns during the passage of this legislation about some other changes being introduced. We have to recognise that the lack of real oversight and accountability where wrongdoing has taken place has been one of the significant contributing factors to the undermining in some instances of public confidence in An Garda Síochána. The oversight bodies have not had the powers or the resources needed to ensure that the Garda is properly accountable. There was a real problem with the slow pace of GSOC investigations and the extent to which complaints were passed back to gardaí - a situation of gardaí investigating gardaí.

Sinn Féin also raised concerns during the passage of the legislation about transparency, accountability and the potential weakening of oversight by some of these changes, including the creation of an internal Garda board, taking some of the powers that would have previously been held by the Policing Authority. I ask the Minister for Justice to look again at ensuring that the oversight bodies, particularly the policing and community safety authority, have the ability to conduct unannounced visits and inspections. That is crucial in its work.

That the Policing Security and Community Safety Act is only now being commenced has left a vacuum at a time when many communities are struggling with issues of crime and antisocial behaviour. We need to see an urgency in establishing the local community safety partnerships that were provided for under this Act.

Dealing with financial matters, I note that the briefing document which the Minister received upon taking office, highlighted that the criminal injuries compensation scheme was due to be exhausted by the end of last month with claims exceeding the money available. That is deeply concerning given that this scheme is vital for supporting victims of crime, including those who have experienced life-changing injuries. I ask the Minister to give the Dáil an update on the situation and if additional funds have been made available for the scheme. That this fund is running out of money so early in the year highlights a wider problem about the need for the criminal injuries compensation tribunal to be put on a statutory footing. Victims of serious crime have demanded action on this for many years. They want the bureaucratic delays addressed. They want to see the lack of transparency addressed and the inadequate recognition of victims' suffering to end. I call on the Minister to prioritise the criminal injuries compensation Bill, which is on the legislative schedule.

We all recognise the important work the Garda does within our communities. We all recognise the esteem in which gardaí are predominantly held, but there are occasions when gardaí have acted in a manner that is unbecoming of the force. In such instances, there has to be accountability. These organisations need to have the power to demand that. We also need to go further. In the previous debate, the Minister set out the importance of respecting majority decisions made in this House. I remind him that the Dáil has twice, by majority decision, called for the establishment of a public inquiry into the case of Shane O'Farrell. I encourage the Minister to proceed on that basis.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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There has been a bit of a delay in commencing this Act. That is not completely the Minister's fault, but there is a concern as to why it took this long. I have no issue with passing these Votes. The Minister explained the position quite well. I do have concerns about how we got here. I am coming at this from the Eddie Molloy version of the original report, that is, the second version. Handing over the powers of the Policing Authority to the Garda Commissioner is wrong. If I was sitting where the Minister is sitting, I would reverse that immediately. I have to be honest about that, particularly as this is how we ended up with all the issues, tribunals and everything else previously.

The proposal to turn the Garda Commissioner into a CEO in order that he or she will be the Accounting Officer is very interesting, especially in light of the issues we have had in the past. What were Garda Commissioners doing in the past? What we should have done is allowed the Policing Authority, which was bedding in, to continue and given it additional further powers.

When we debated the legislation, I read the memorandum relating to it. I was shaken because the memorandum states that the legislation "will facilitate the Minister’s Department in pulling back from involvement in day-to-day management of An Garda Síochána while also providing objective assurance to the Minister in relation to governance standards within An Garda Síochána". Why would the Department of Justice be involved in day-to-day management of An Garda Síochána in the first place? Every response to parliamentary questions I have sent to various Ministers for Justice tells me that he or she has no role in the matter. To put that into a memorandum says a lot. The Department of Justice should not be involved in the day-to-day management of An Garda Síochána. The structures that are put in place have to be robust enough, otherwise the Oireachtas will have a job to do to ensure that standards are maintained and that there is accountability.

I have concerns about the way in which the board will operate. I also have concerns regarding senior appointments in An Garda Síochána and how they will operate. There is an issue historically whereby An Garda Síochána, at a certain level, has a certain culture, which is that it does not tolerate anybody who steps out of line when it comes to protect the public interest. I refer to people whistleblowing, making protected disclosures or just trying to do the right thing. We saw the farce regarding the issue with a bicycle last year. There are also a number of other issues, which I have raised in this Dáil with the Minister in the recent past and on which I am assured he went to the Commissioner.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Minister has not made any public statements about these matters or in respect of defective holsters. The Minister believes that what I put on the record of this Dáil was accurate. It was accurate. There is also the matter of how 8 kg of drugs were found in Garda headquarters, as well as the issues relating to firearms. I understand the Garda Commissioner went looking for these firearms. It was a bit late to do so. Given all these things, there is a serious issue around the structures being in place. The structures were not in place in the past, so these structures have to be robust enough into the future to ensure all of those matters are dealt with. There will be ongoing issues.

I am delighted that GSOC is gone. I hope the new structures will work. They will if the right people are in place. The first person may very well have already been appointed. GSOC was not bloody well fit for purpose. Imagine being in a coroner's office when a garda finds out that he is to be prosecuted. I raised that matter in the Dáil. I had a window of about six days to raise before the garda in question was charged. I had to. That should not happen. The whole system relating to how gardaí in Limerick and some gardaí in Dublin are being dealt with is outrageously wrong. I am not saying that people did not do some things that were wrong, but proportionality has to come into this.

I also want to raise some other issues relating to the Vote and how funding has at times gone askew in the context of An Garda Síochána. Is the Minister aware or can he confirm that quite a number of rounds of defective ammunition were purchased by An Garda Síochána in 2017 and 2018 and that these ended up being destroyed? This was at a loss to the taxpayer. This was .416 mm ammunition. Will the Minister indicate what happened in this instance? Will he find out and send on the information? Why did we bring in this ammunition at a cost to the State only for it to end up being destroyed? More importantly, why did we allow it to be out with An Garda Síochána for a considerable period, thereby putting gardaí on duty at risk? The Minister is well aware of this issue because I have tabled parliamentary questions on it. One or two of them actually got past the Ceann Comhairle. I say that in jest.

Why was there repair and servicing for privately-owned firearms by An Garda Síochána? These were firearms that were brought in which were not for An Garda Síochána; they were snuck in. They were for the use of a hunt and pony club based in Kildare. The taxpayer is paying for this. We are talking tonight about the Vote but it is the taxpayer who pays for this. I know the Minister is aware of this too because I said it to him. The Department is also aware.

It is mind-boggling how a firearm component was brought into the State. I have supplied information on this matter to the Minister. The Minister for Justice was potentially deceived by way of a false instrument being placed before the Department, because it had to sign off on this coming in. I have also given all the details on this to the Minister. I am really concerned about whether the Garda Commissioner fulfilled his statutory obligation under section 41 of the Garda Síochána Act in respect of the investigation into this matter.

I have referred to defective ammunition, how privately owned firearms were brought in by Garda personnel and how the importation of a firearm component potentially was done in such an underhanded way that a Minister was deceived. These all had impacts on the Vote. They all had impacts on funding being given to An Garda Síochána. This was the standard that was there. Please ensure that the structures in place now will make sure that these types of occurrences never bloody well happen again.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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Today, we are speaking to a 291-page document that addresses the changing over of Votes under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. Part of this involves the components that deal with whole-of-government responsibility, the strengthening of oversight and accountability, enhanced oversight mechanisms, community engagement and the absorption of current structures into the Policing and Community Safety Authority.

It would be absolutely remiss of me if I did not use yesterday's events as an example of where legislation like this could work and, in the absence of effective resourcing, what we are being left with. What happened yesterday outside the Dáil was an absolute travesty. My phone started to ring from just after 7 a.m., when I started to receive communications about Mothers Against Genocide who were taking part in an organised protest, in the context of which they had engaged with the structures that one is supposed engage with the previous evening. Then I heard that those same parents who had given up their day of celebration to sleep on the pavement outside Dáil Éireann had their symbols of genocide removed. When they protested vociferously, as they rightly should have done and as they have been doing for many months-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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8 o’clock

I have reprimanded the Deputy's colleague Deputy Farrell on relevance. This is a debate about the Revised Estimates. If the Deputy is saying something about the Estimates and money, which are what the debate is actually about-----

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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Oversight-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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He should please stick-----

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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I am not sure how what I am raising is any less relevant or important than what Deputy Kelly spoke about. He was speaking about an issue that was not-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Deputy should preface his remarks with a reference to funding, because I am not hearing that his remarks are about the Revised Estimates.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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My opening remarks referred to oversight mechanisms and also changing over from the ombudsman to Fiosrú.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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And funding.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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And funding.

Let me refer to why an oversight mechanism is necessary. Yesterday a group of women were taken away from a protest on genocide, brought to a police station and strip-searched and cavity-searched. What sort of funding can be given to ensure accountability for these women? There is no means by which what happened is justifiable or acceptable. This is related to the content of the report on profiling by the Irish Network Against Racism, commissioned by the Policing Authority and released just two days ago. It is particularly relevant when we talk about the fact that a survivor of genocide who wished to protest against it was taken to a police station and received treatment that none of us could stand over. I appreciate that the Act is really important but there are real-world examples as to why we are failing in this regard and need to do better. There are many elements to the Act that we welcome but I do not believe the legislation meets the moment we have been asking for. This has been called a bold new era but it involves a reshuffle. There are new boards and acronyms but very little substantial change. It certainly will not see change in the communities I represent.

Community safety, when well resourced, entails having effective and expedient accountability for those who, on having reported hate crimes after having walked past gangs, feel they have not been treated appropriately by the apparatus of the State that is in place to protect and serve them. I refer in particular to when the structures of the State let themselves down.

The Act could have been a genuine opportunity for reform. It could have broken from the past and built something new and different. Instead, it dresses up a system that is not working in the language of reform. The Act and the resourcing required have done very little to address the absence of morale among the on-the-ground gardaí we are asking to serve us. It does nothing to address the retention crisis through allocating resources. Experienced gardaí are walking away and young gardaí are leaving the system because they cannot afford to live in the cities they are being asked to police. The legislation does nothing to address the fact that there is a significant absence of real, immediate and effective oversight. The new Garda ombudsman, Fiosrú, lacks full independence. There is no full access to information and no power to initiate investigations freely. A watchdog that needs permission is not a real oversight body, and it will not be.

There is a failure to track bias and injustice. If this had gone to the committee, I am sure we would have been welcoming groups such as the Irish Network Against Racism, which released a report yesterday on the profiling of communities of colour and Brazilians, who feel they are being policed differently from other groups. We need to have a debate on this.

Local community safety partnerships could have been powerful but they are toothless. When initiated by the Minister’s predecessor, Deputy McEntee, I brought in the report from the North Inner City Local Community Safety Partnership. I believe it has 54 pages of recommendations but there was absolutely no budget allocated for each. Can the Minister imagine what is effectively another well-intentioned talking shop where people raise issues concerning various authorities around the table? An example of such an issue is the Royal Canal walkway, which has become a no-go area in the north side of the city. Every single month, somebody will raise an issue and the Garda will talk about an absence of the resources needed to police the areas in question effectively.

There is a framing of progress here but it is still the same old top-down approach, rebranded with a press release and not really designed for any substantial change. Real safety in our communities is about building relationships, not just structures. Gardaí who in the past knew your name will now just know you through a number. We need systems that protect people, not just manage fallout. Much of what we are talking about in respect of what happened yesterday is about how we protect people, give them the right to protest and not react disproportionately. Real safety means gardaí rooted in communities, not gardaí borrowed from other counties, taking away those counties’ Garda resources. It also means victims being heard and supported, not handed a number and then sent away. It means being transparent with data on what is happening, and where and why, so we can intervene. It means structures that empower communities, not simply sideline them.

Safety is not about fewer crimes; it is about fairness, trust and dignity. We failed in this regard yesterday. Safety is also about knowing who will show up, who will believe you and who will fight for you. I refer to what community safety should mean. The legislation, although well intentioned and certainly having some pluses, does not deliver in this regard. I hope the resources allocated will enable it. Again, however, somebody needs to get on top of what happened yesterday. It was a gross failure of the State.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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I welcome the opportunity to address this issue. It makes sense to amalgamate the Policing Authority and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, provided that there is strong oversight. Some of the flaws have been highlighted by previous speakers and I am not going to go over them, but it is important that, by and large, the Garda get policing in this State right. Since police forces need to have many powers, there needs to be a lot of oversight. However, it needs to be practical in terms of implementation and functions.

Could I raise joint policing committees with the Minister? I was a member of one for several years. The committees were useful forums but a bit toothless. What is being proposed looks like a recreation of them. They need to have strong powers, a strong oversight role and genuine input into community policing and local policing plans.

On gardaí, the overall budget has nearly doubled since 2016, from €55 billion to €105 billion. The justice budget has increased in line with that, but although there are more gardaí and a bigger budget there are fewer front-line gardaí. I was told in Portarlington the other day that there were two gardaí in the town, the second biggest town in County Laois. This is the problem. I am sure the Minister is hearing about this in his constituency. In country towns, we hear there is a huge shortage of gardaí for front-line policing. We hear it from the Garda itself.

We can see that Garda resources were stretched in the likes of the Dublin riots. Some improvements have been made and the public order units have been expanded, which will be welcome when the units are needed, but the response needs to be proportionate. What happened over Sunday night and yesterday morning outside these gates was not proportionate. The protest was peaceful. I am not going to go on long about this but I fail to see why there is a need to use such disproportionate force. I have been at many protests over the years but have not seen the Garda use unnecessary force of that kind. I am really curious as to why strip-searching was used. The last time it was used was as a punishment against republican women prisoners in Armagh Gaol. That was in different times and we do not want to see that kind of oppression of women and invasiveness down here. There needs to be Garda accountability in this regard.

On the Estimates overall, the Garda and the funding of justice are important. We have seen some improvement in the Garda stations, which is to be welcomed. The new station in Portlaoise is going ahead, as the Minister knows. I understand that the Minister cannot tell the Garda Commissioner where to send gardaí daily but there has to be more emphasis on community policing and having a visible garda presence. Gardaí cannot be seen everywhere but we can do better than we are doing.

There is a considerable budget for social protection. I do not see the means test of the carer’s allowance happening yet. Issues like this and the GP medical card need to be tackled. I would like the Minister to take that on board.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I welcome that the Minister has set out this very clearly and that he hopes to commence tomorrow the new Act, which will replace the 2005 Act. The 2005 Act was supposed to be a sea change in Garda culture and it arose for many reasons.

I will come right back to what happened yesterday because it relates to what is absolutely an integral part of openness, accountability and the structures we are now introducing. Three structures were introduced: the ombudsman, GSOC; the Garda Inspectorate; and the Policing Authority. They are now being changed around. I have no difficulty with that or with what the Minister is asking so that the Act can be commenced tomorrow. My difficulty relates to the behaviour yesterday. Let me go back so I can put it in context for the Ceann Comhairle.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The context of funding.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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It is funding to make the various entities open and accountable, to get rid of the culture that led to the Act in 2005 that was never a success, and to change the various structures again because accountability failed. Not by the ordinary gardaí on the ground, let me say. My introduction to the Dáil was the O'Higgins report, which I know the Minister also read. I read the Morris tribunal report. I read the Smithwick report. On every single level, there was no accountability for the culture of secrecy and protecting the institutions rather than not human rights or garda rights. I was horrified at what happened to Sergeant McCabe. That was my introduction to the Dáil.

We are now looking at putting these structures into a new Act that will be commenced tomorrow to change the culture and bring in accountability. What do we find? I was at the protest in Galway yesterday. I could not describe a more peaceful, dignified and silent protest to highlight the genocide in Gaza. Something similar happened in Dublin, and like the other TDs, we have got repeated reports of appalling, disproportionate behaviour by the Garda. As a new Minister and with his background in law, I wish for the Minister to comment on this. Strip-searching and cavity-searching of women who were out peacefully protesting against a genocide - how can that happen in the 21st century when we are talking about structures to bring in accountability? I go back, a Cheann Comhairle. I have not strayed at all from the topic because they are the topics.

Instead of GSOC, we will now have Fiosrú. I was talking with my colleague here about the word "fiosrú". It is a strange word because it is just "inquire". I am not really sure what we do with the Irish language as opposed to giving it meaning and punch.

Many people have criticised GSOC. Whatever about GSOC being accountable, what I have read about repeatedly is the failure to fund it. Year after year, GSOC produced an annual report, just like SIPO, and told us it was underfunded, under-resourced and could not really do its job properly. As well as changing the structures, we need to commit to funding properly.

I will finish on community policing. Like every Deputy, I want to see more garda síochána - the hint is in the name "Garda Síochána", which means guardians of the peace - on our streets so we can feel safer. All of the time the language is changing and we see fewer gardaí on the street. I stop in my tracks or on my bicycle when I see gardaí to welcome their presence.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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The nature of policing is radically changing in this country. There is absolutely no doubt about that. That relationship between citizens and the Garda is actually crumbling. Much of the Garda's authority over decades has been the fact that gardaí have been able to work in partnership with positive relationships with local communities. That has meant the level of difficulties that have come to pass between police and citizens has been relatively low in Ireland compared to other European countries. There has not been the same level of conflict in this State, typically, with the Garda as there can be in certain other countries with their own police forces.

We have seen a significant fall in the number of gardaí over the past number of years. Ireland has the lowest of number of police per capita in the whole of the European Union, and for the past five years, the number of gardaí has fallen significantly. That is even before you take into consideration the population increases that have happened in the State.

In terms of the Garda's footprint right across the country, we know there is a serious problem with the Garda retreating into the big towns and away from small towns. Towns like Ballivor, Longwood, Summerhill, Athboy and Oldcastle in County Meath that had their own functioning Garda station for maybe 100 years now find they are either closed or they have a garda for five hours on a Saturday. That is an absolute disgrace. There are approximately 56 Garda stations under the new figures that do not have an assigned Garda. When you create that situation, it is ripe for complaints, conflict and difficulties. When that relationship between local communities breaks down, it is a major difficulty.

In recent years, we have also seen a significant number of decisions made by the Government that had an authoritarian element to them and affected certain elements of society in a significant way. I am thinking of the fact that Ireland had the most severe restrictions of any European country during the period of Covid when we took civil liberties away from individuals. I remember a picture on television of young people who had been having pints on South William Street being marched off the street by gardaí in full riot gear. It was an incredible situation. We have to improve the numbers and relationship to make sure we do not have a conflict.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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I congratulate the Minister. This is my first time speaking with him from the opposite side. I wish him the very best and look forward to working with him on numerous issues.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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Today, I am not armed with some briefing note drafted by civil servants far removed from the realities of rural Ireland, but with the voice of the people I represent. People in places like Goleen, Adrigole and Drimoleague who have not seen a community garda in years. We are told the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act was the most significant reform in two decades but to be honest, I have seen what reform meant the last time and I am not buying the spin. Reform meant shutting 139 Garda stations between 2012 and 2013. Reform meant leaving five upgraded taxpayer-funded properties to be flogged off for peanuts. That was not reform. That was rural abandonment. That was the beginning of fear taking root in communities, once proud of their safety and solidarity.

It is worth noting that the briefing note circulated by the Minister for Justice states that he said on 4 March that he would ensure the Vote could be approved by the House in time for the legislation to be commenced this month. Well, he missed that deadline, and on April Fool's Day, too. I am left to wonder whether the Government prioritised looking after Mr. Lowry and company over pressing ahead with urgent business.

The new authority, the PCSA, and the new ombudsman's office are getting tens of millions in funding. That is fine if they deliver results but where is the guarantee that community gardaí will be put back in the areas that lost them? Where is the commitment to opening even one rural Garda station? I do not see it. What I see is more management, more renaming, more lawyers but not more boots on the ground. Let me remind the House that when you close a Garda station, you do not just shut a door. You shut down a sense of security. Older people in west Cork, people living alone miles from the nearest town, are left wondering who will respond when trouble comes. Now, they rely on a passing patrol or a text alert system we had to fight tooth and nail to establish.

I have been secretary of the local community alert group for years. I know the Schull community alert. I know the commitment involved. I know the cold nights spent out checking roads, helping neighbours, attending meetings and keeping an eye out, but these groups are struggling. They have been left without Garda support, without proper engagement and without a signal from Government that their work matters. Let us not forget the mess we are in today, scrambling to approve these Votes because the justice committee is not even up and running. We are being asked to rubber stamp millions of euro with no debate and no scrutiny. That is not how a republic should run its business.

I am not here to block progress. I am here to fight for fair, balanced reform that sees a garda walk down the street in Ballydehob safely, not just another press release in Dublin. It is reform that restores community trust, not just reshuffles it. If the Act is to mean anything, it must start where it was most broken, namely, in rural Ireland, not in new authorities but in old values, present partnerships and protection.

We fought bitterly against the closure of the Goleen, Adrigole and Ballinspittle Garda stations. We won the Ballinspittle battle, actually, and the battle for the Ballinacarriga Garda station, actually. Unfortunately, we lost three of those Garda stations in west Cork at that time and many more besides outside of the constituency. From talking to people, meeting people or attending the community alert meetings, I know that left them very vulnerable. It was a huge loss to those local communities.

Some of those Garda stations are still lying idle. They should be given back and a garda should be appointed to each community. I have always advocated for the local garda appointed to the local area. I see that down in Kilbrittain with John McCarthy, who lives locally, and in Ballydehob with Jonathan McCarthy. McCarthy is a good name when it comes to the Garda. They are there and can nick matters in time, before they get out of hand. They are a credit to their community. The problem, however, is that they are out there nights on their own, summer and winter, because of the lack of gardaí in west Cork. The numbers of gardaí are falling. They are not being replaced. Drimoleague Garda station comes up quite often with me. People ask why there is no garda appointed to the station. The Garda station is there but a garda is not. We need to look at community alerts. That is where policing was always at its best, when the local community knew of every mood that was going on. The garda would make it into the local village once every two or three weeks and got things sorted out locally. That saved lives and made people happy at home. This has to be looked into further.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Members for their contributions on this matter. I listened to their contributions carefully. On balance, when it comes to the reallocation of funding for the Votes that is required for the commencement of the legislation tomorrow, I do not think there is vigorous objection to the proposal that has been proposed. I have heard what Members have had to say in respect of many other issues.

Deputies Farrell, Connolly, Stanley and Gannon all mentioned issues that arose outside these Houses yesterday. I am conscious of your ruling, a Cheann Comhairle, so I will not violate it. One of the bodies to be established tomorrow is Fiosrú. It is the body to which complaints are to be made if people allege misconduct against An Garda Síochána. We have structures in place to deal with complaints against members of An Garda Síochána. It is the case around the world that it is appropriate that all police forces should not regulate themselves or decide on complaints against themselves. We have a proper statutory body in place to deal with any complaints if people wish to make complaints.

A number of colleagues mentioned the issue of the absence of gardaí or that they wanted to see more gardaí on their streets. That is a consistent complaint by Members of this House. It reflects very positively on An Garda Síochána that people, whether they are in Galway, like Deputy Farrell, or in west Cork, like Deputy Collins, or in Laois, like Deputy Stanley, all want to see more gardaí on the streets. That is part of my political objective as well. I have stated to senior management in An Garda Síochána that what the public want to see is greater Garda visibility and I have asked for greater Garda visibility and more gardaí put on the street. We are beginning to see changes in that regard. Deputy Gannon referred to sections of his constituency. I think that at present the Deputy will see in his constituency greater visibility of gardaí. I would be interested to see if he will notice that over the next while.

I am also conscious of what Deputy Carthy said about the new statutory bodies and the oversight bodies being put in place. I believe that the community safety partnerships will work and be effective. Deputy Carthy also raised the issues with the criminal injuries compensation tribunal. It generally is the case, I regret to say, that at the end of each year there are not sufficient moneys in place for awards to be paid out to persons who succeed before the tribunal. However, they all ultimately receive their money, even though that is delayed. Nonetheless, one of my political objectives is to put the criminal injuries compensation tribunal on a statutory basis. It is in the programme for Government. I cannot say that that will be done this year but it is something I want to see done during my term of office.

Deputy Kelly mentioned that he would have done things differently in respect of the establishment of the new bodies. It is appropriate, however, that the Garda authority and the Garda Inspectorate have been merged. Deputy Kelly also raised issues in respect of the democratic oversight of the Garda. It is important that the Department of Justice retain a role in having oversight of An Garda Síochána in the way there is political oversight at present.

Deputy Kelly also spoke about Garda culture. I believe the Garda culture is changing significantly from what it was at the time of the Morris tribunal. All these statutory bodies were put in place by the 2005 Act to a large extent because of the findings in the Morris tribunal.

Deputy Kelly acknowledged that some of the issues he raised with me in the Chamber I then raised with the Garda Commissioner. Deputy Kelly also raised a series of other issues, some of which I have replied to through parliamentary questions. I have sought to do so. He asked me if I could state whether these issues had been brought to my attention by the Commissioner under section 41. I cannot do that, a Cheann Comhairle. Section 41 is a process and a procedure that is protected by confidentiality. It is a secret process whereby I am updated by the Garda Commissioner on issues he believes are important.

Deputy Gannon mentioned that he wanted to see a different and improved Garda performance. I am pleased to say to the Deputy that there are performance regulations that will also be commenced tomorrow. I think they will improve matters.

Deputy Stanley indicated that he wanted to see more gardaí on the street.

Deputy Connolly referred to yesterday's issue. I repeat that we have Fiosrú in place and that is to deal with complaints.

Finally, I note what Deputy Tóibín said. My view, however, is that the relationship between the public and members of An Garda Síochána is still very strong.