Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise the issue of a 24 hour physical Garda station for Carndonagh, which would service north Inishowen. I also thank the new Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, for taking Adjournment matters in the House this evening. He may not be the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform but he is nearly as good because he is now in charge of an area that is relevant to the issue I am raising.

The people of Inishowen are good and law-abiding almost all of the time. In Dublin there may be serious crimes including murder and major drug issues but in Inishowen we see a great deal of petty crime, including public order offences. Much of the time these crimes are committed by a small number of youths so this area is relevant to the Minister of State in his new role of responsibility for children and youths. He has a major part to play in helping us help those who wish to be valued as members of society and to bring those causing bother back into line, if possible.

I am here to talk about Carndonagh, one of the priority locations in the Garda Síochána's building programme. I was told in February that it is intended to build a new Garda station there. At that point a site had been identified and the Office of Public Works, OPW, which has responsibility for the construction and maintenance of Garda accommodation, was in the process of acquiring it. Where does this process stand at the moment? Once that was done the OPW and the Garda authorities were to bring forward detailed plans for the new station.

One of the last functions of the former Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, was to turn the sod for the new Garda station at Buncrana, a €24 million investment. At one point I thought the Buncrana and Carndonagh stations would run in tandem in terms of acquisition of sites and building. Ultimately, there is a 24 hour service in Buncrana, but anyone who knows Inishowen will appreciate the sheer distance from one side to the other. Carndonagh Garda station is so small that it would fit in the Visitors Gallery of the Seanad. There is no debate as regards the need for the new station, but there is a certain urgency, as far as I am concerned. Local knowledge indicates that the site should be acquired by the Garda, because it has been looked at and talked about for a long time. I want to keep up the pressure to ensure that it becomes a reality.

I want to take the opportunity while the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews is in the House, to say that the youth diversion programmes have been enormously important and successful, where implemented. I assume the Minister of State's role, within youth affairs, will cross over a number of Departments. A radio programme last night made light of the fact that some of the Ministers of States crossed over a number of Departments. However, it is only logical that Ministers of State in particular should not only have the right to cross over Departments, but should be supported in their interdepartmental roles. There is no point in talking about youth affairs unless the Minister of State can talk to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform about supporting youth diversion programmes, for example. The need to talk to young people about what they are interested in, should be explored. There is a good deal of investment in sport, which is a great diversion for the youth. However, some people are not into sport, and therefore other facilities must be found for them.

Some people say that a great deal of effort and resources are targeting the minority of people who cause bother rather than the vast majority who do not. However, if we focus on investing in youth services, which will of interest to the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, into the future, then a Garda station will be more of a social phenomenon, a place where people may go to get their forms signed. If people have to be detained, for whatever reason, they may be safely detained. At the moment, the geographical distance between one location of the peninsula and another needs to be considered, as I have said. There are some 30,000 people on Inishowen, which in demographic terms is equivalent to Counties Louth or Leitrim. People argue that it is only a small place, but distance there between one place and another is exacerbated by the fact that the Buncrana station is advancing well, while Carndonagh Garda personnel are forced to work in impossible conditions.

I welcome the advent of more female gardaí, but in the event there must be facilities for them, and many of the stations need to take this into account. To be mildly controversial in this regard, sometimes the numbers of operating gardaí will remain fixed regardless of whether a garda takes maternity leave — with the mother-to-be still on the books. The difficulty is that from the moment a garda becomes pregnant, she is put on desk duty, and then takes maternity leave. This means that the real as distinct from the actual numbers can sometimes be slightly different. However, the facilities need to be put in place for all eventualities.