Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for a comprehensive reply delivered in his usual style, in which he adds words to the prepared reply and it only enhances it. His experience on the ground in Dublin city centre is most beneficial. I agree with the contention of the Minister of State about involving the local authority as a central aspect of community courts. As late as yesterday evening, I attended a joint policing committee in County Clare. Over the past decade, we have seen more co-operation between the Garda Síochána, local communities and local authorities. It encapsulates local policing and community policing. That is good. The 2005 legislation providing for joint policing committees has been successful. It could be more successful and perhaps it is a matter for another day when we can increase and develop community policing and co-operation between various stakeholders. Some joint policing committees are working very well, while others could be doing much better. As a society, we could be doing much better and there is significant scope for the Garda Reserve to develop awareness training programmes, school programmes and programmes to assist old people with regard to their knowledge about protecting themselves.

I am pleased that the Cabinet has endorsed the motion. A pilot project in Dublin is extremely important. It will test the idea, but that will only happen if resources are made available. The implementation group needs to be established sooner rather than later; I am talking about weeks or months. Whatever stakeholder engagement needs to happen can happen as part of an implementation group. All stakeholders will be involved in the implementation group. I want to see the community court established in Dublin in the lifetime of this Government, which is a timeline of less than two years. I would like to see official timelines at this stage. I will use the facility of the Adjournment debate to request specific timelines in the coming weeks and months. There is momentum at Government level within the Oireachtas, and it is great that the motion has received unanimous support. I thank the members of the Opposition for constructive contributions. We have a role in bringing the public with us and getting it behind the concept of community courts.

At local authority level in this city, Councillor Oisín Quinn, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, is so dedicated to the concept and principle of community courts that there will be involvement of the local authority in the community court, to which the Minister of State referred at the end of his contribution. With regard to the business community, the fact that the Dublin City Business Association was prepared to fly over speakers from New York means the association is putting its money where its mouth is. We have significant buy-in from the community.

With regard to education and research, any pilot community court must have a dedicated research aspect. The research unit should be set within the complex housing the pilot programme. I am talking about the principle of a one-stop shop. We have spoken about local authorities being a one-stop shop for local services but we should let the community court, which will be piloted in this city, be a one-stop shop for bringing people who lose their way and end up on the wrong side of the law back to where they would like to be. Many renowned educational institutes have a significant role to play. Six Senators in the House represent educational institutions. There is a significant role for them to play but I believe the way to drive this forward is a one-stop shop under one roof or as part of a cluster. The community court can act as a hub and it can be part of the fabric of the community, owned by the community and in the bloodline of the community. It will work but it must be given a chance. As a country we have a unique culture and unique ways of doing business. Any community court must be reflective of the city and what is good and bad about the city. There is enormous potential but it will require tweaking, as we will not get it right on day one. As it evolves it will improve, which is why the research element is so critical.

This is a good day for the Seanad and has proven, in respect of the ten Senators who spoke and the Minister of State, that we are a Chamber that can tease out problems, develop motions and find solutions. I would like to see it happen more in a reformed Seanad. I am delighted the motion has received unanimous support. I thank Senators from across the Chamber who spoke and I look forward to hearing about the timelines and seeing the pilot programme up and running. It will bear enormous results for the citizens of this city and of Ireland.