Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister of State's response but I do not accept it. It is nonsense to suggest to this House or to me that it is the role of the Garda Commissioner to make these decisions when we all know a member of the Cabinet is well able to trumpet that he apparently was successful in reopening Stepaside Garda station. He is also willing to tell all his constituents as often as he possibly can that it was his intervention that made that happen. For the Minister of State to suggest there was no political interference or influence on that decision is a statement of an untruth. I know it certainly went against the advice of the assistant Garda Commissioner. As was stated in the Houses of the Oireachtas, he was not in favour of it and did not believe it was a proper use of Garda resources. It is not good enough for the Minister of State to tell me that this issue has nothing to do with the Government when it has.

I advised the Minister of State that the Government stated two years ago that there was not a need for a secondary school in the Clongriffin-Belmayne area and now it has stated a school is needed. A Garda station is also needed in the locality because of the projected population. I am sure that in years to come somebody in the Minister of State's position will inform the House that the Government has changed its mind in that regard. I ask the Minister of State to stop telling us this is not a political decision when clearly it is a political decision. Will he review the priorities of the Department to take account of this new population centre and give it the service it clearly needs?