Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit atá anseo, an Teachta Donncha Mac Fhionnlaoich as Dún na nGall. Mar adúirt cainteoirí eile, is mór an trua é nach bhfuil an tAire Dlí agus Cirt i láthair anseo tráthnóna. Níl a fhios agam cén fáth nach bhfuil sé i láthair. Is cosúil go bhfuil ionadaithe na gardaí ag iarraidh bualadh leis agus labhairt leis, ach níl sé ar fáil. Anois, nuair atá díospóireacht tábhachtach anseo sa Seanad agus na gardaí in ísle brí, níl sé le fáíl áit ar bith. Is droch rud i mo thuairim é sin.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy McGinley, who does not have responsibility for the Department of Justice and Equality. It is a sad reflection on the Minister for Justice and Equality that he cannot be here to debate this Private Members' motion, which is very important. The motion merely replicates the lack of confidence in the Minister and the lack of morale in the Garda and Defence Forces.

The Garda, with the Army, is the country's most important defence mechanism, and gardaí should be supported in every way in the financing of the State. Members of the Garda Síochána are now working out of derelict buildings, in unsafe patrol cars and in extremely poor conditions. Their pay and allowances are being reduced. I have spoken to gardaí who have been driven to use the services of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS. Others are availing of the services of a benevolent fund established within the Garda associations. Morale is at an all-time low, yet the Minister for Justice and Equality fails to come to the House to discuss this issue. It is a disgrace that the Minister is not here.

The Minister has spoken about smart policing but he has failed to tell anyone what he means by that, apart from press releases and soundbites about the use of Facebook and other new technology tools. Does the Minister believe smart policing revolves around Garda stations being open as clinics for two hours every day or every week to fill in forms? Should citizens send a text message to their garda if there is a crime issue in their community? That seems to be the smart policing he is talking about. He has not told anyone else what he means by it. Crime levels are increasing, which happens during every recession and not only during this one. Communities, particularly elderly people living alone, and there are many of them in rural Ireland, are living in fear because Garda services are being reduced. Gardaí in rural stations which are being reconfigurated do not have the additional money to purchase diesel, the cars are not up to scratch and there is a lack of those cars.

I have received anonymous correspondence from members of An Garda Síochána in my own county. Morale within the Garda is at breaking point, at a time when the State should be supporting gardaí. When the pensions of former Government officials, retired Secretaries General and former politicians and Ministers have been reduced somewhat, but not much, members of An Garda Síochána, under the Croke Park ll negotiations, are being asked to accept pay-cuts of 10.6%. This is in addition to the pay-cuts of 24% they have already accepted. A further pay-cut of 10.6% will force gardaí, many of whom took out mortgages during the boom, into a situation where they are simply unable to afford to stay in employment. Senators may have heard yesterday's radio interview with a garda who said he would be better off claiming social welfare than working for An Garda Síochána. What kind of reflection is that on our police force which has a statutory power to protect us, and particularly our elderly and vulnerable, when we need it?

Many recommendations were put forward by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, AGSI and by the Garda Representative Association, GRA. They have fallen on deaf ears. Senator O'Brien referred to Garda cars. Approximately 250 cars were purchased recently, but one Garda car per day goes into an unsafe situation because it has more than 300,000 km on the clock. Those cars, one per day, must go out of circulation. This amounts to 365 cars in the last year which are being replaced by 250 cars. Perhaps everyone else is wrong and the Minister is right. The Minister may be able to add up differently from everyone else, but simple arithmetic shows that more cars are going out of circulation than are being replaced. There is a shortage of cars.

At its conference, the AGSI approved a very sensible motion. It proposed that instead of purchasing new cars, and having a capital outlay, the Garda should enter into a leasing plan, as the corporate or semi-state sectors do. If Garda stations are being closed and new Garda cars are not being provided, how can people living in rural areas be confident that they are being protected from criminality? They can not.

In County Donegal, stations along the Border are being closed. There are Garda stations in Buncrana and in Letterkenny. There are then 16 miles of a free-for-all Border where people are coming across from the North and breaking into houses. A post office near Burt was broken into last year by people who highjacked a taxi in Derry and came across the Border. There are no Border checks. If there is a lack of resources can there not be a joined-up approach to Border security by the Garda and the Army? We must protect our citizens from criminality.