Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. To be quite honest, I am a little taken aback by this response. I tabled this matter previously and the Minister came back to me to say it was not her responsibility. This is her constituency, however. This is her area. The people of the Ashbourne area and Laytown-Bettystown coastal area deserve a 24-hour station.

The area in which the current Laytown Garda station is situated is the middle of a housing estate. There is no way it can upgrade that facility there. In 2009, Fianna Fáil announced it was going to build a brand new Garda station over there. That never materialised either. There have been many promises along the way for the people of the coast. That area has grown substantially over the past five to ten years. Duleek has also grown substantially, but particularly the east coast of County Meath from Southgate right across to Julianstown. It needs a full-time Garda station. I would not be here asking for it if it was not something we need. We have a Garda station in Duleek that is manned part time. It is not a full-time station; it is a part-time station. The needs of the coast are far greater, however. The time it takes members of the Garda in Ashbourne to get to a case on the coast can sometimes be up to one hour. The Minister of State's response mentioned visible policing in rural areas; it does not happen. It did not happen yesterday in Cherry Orchard and it is certainly not happening in County Meath. The Garda needs to do better. It needs to get more boots on the ground and have more visibility to ensure that communities are safe. People want to be safe. They do not want to see what happened yesterday happen in their communities.