Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Deputy Leader for some information or to seek a debate with the Minister for Justice regarding Garda stations, especially the proposed new Garda station in Clonmel. It is in the capital building programme, along with a new station in Macroom and the children's court. Clonmel Garda station is ready to go, just like Macroom is, but it is being held up in the process because of the children's court in Dublin. It is hugely frustrating.

We have ambitious and amazing plans for a new Garda station on the site of Kickham Barracks in Clonmel. It is for all the gardaí who work in the district, and they have been waiting for it for a long time. I would ask anyone to come to see the conditions in which gardaí are currently working in Clonmel. It is not fit for purpose at all, whether it is for the people working there or for the public coming in. A new Garda station would do a lot to support the area and to build morale within the force in the area. It is incredibly frustrating that through no fault of their own it has not progressed. The most frustrating part about it is that we as a Government are developing Kickham Barracks at the moment, opening up it to the public with a new open plaza area. There is a further development of an educational campus with Tús and the local education and training board. It is going to be a fantastic area right in the heart of Clonmel.

There is, however, a real problem with the slow progress of the Garda station. I hope the Minister will be able to come to County Tipperary and Clonmel, in particular, at some point soon. We need clarity. When I speak to gardaí there, many of them genuinely believe they will be well retired before the station is ever built. I would be very grateful for an update from the Minister.