Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Amendment No. 51 makes an important proposal. Frequently there will be calls for public meetings on anti-social activity and problems with crime. Very often those calls for meetings are made by political parties or residents' organisations. It would be a very useful function if the police committees could organise a public meeting on a topic. People would be more likely to come to such a meeting than they would to a meeting organised by a political party or by some ginger group within a community that has a particular bent against the police or the like.

In Northern Ireland a local partnership policing board held a public meeting in a certain area which attracted media coverage. The meeting allowed the community to vent its views on a particular issue. I acknowledge that sectarian issues exist in Northern Ireland which thankfully do not arise in this jurisdiction. However it was useful that the meeting was organised by the local policing board and I propose the same function should be given to these committees. A meeting organised by a political party or some ginger group does not have the same significance, to my mind, as a meeting organised by these new committees. It would be a useful, additional power to give the committees.