Seanad debates

Wednesday, 2 October 2019

10:30 am

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge what Senators Ó Donnghaile, Conway and others have done on the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality. I assure the Senators that I take seriously the reports of that committee and am happy to engage further with it on the important and valuable report that was published earlier this year and that we had an opportunity of debating at plenary level in the Dáil before the recess.

I will close by acknowledging the importance of this motion. I thank the Fianna Fáil Members for raising this most important issue. Of course, I acknowledge that there is more work to do in this area. Organised crime is an ongoing challenge in all jurisdictions and the ever-evolving nature of criminal activity and the increasingly sophisticated avenues of pursuing organised crime are such that the response by law enforcement agencies must continue to evolve, deepen and intensify over time. The Garda Commissioner is wholeheartedly committed to harnessing the new Garda model. I am disappointed by criticism in the Seanad of the Garda Commissioner, since I know that he is committed to bringing out the best of the new model of policing and to tackling organised crime on the front line. The Government is committed to continuing with its priority of supporting the Garda Commissioner to that end. In that regard, unprecedented funding of €1.76 billion has been allocated by the Government to the Garda Vote for this year as well as capital investment amounting to €92 million, which is a 50% increase on the 2018 figure. The Government remains committed to achieving a Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021. The ongoing programme of recruitment will provide the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of gardaí to deliver a visible, effective and responsive policing service throughout the country. These requirements will be kept under ongoing review by Garda management with a view towards addressing any policing requirement that may arise from time to time. I am confident that this continuing investment in Garda resources by the Government, together with the ongoing reform process within the Garda, will result in an improved policing service for all of our communities, irrespective of where they are, urban or rural.

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