Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This section is very much connected with the following sections in which provision is made for the membership and overall role of the community safety partnerships. The purpose of this section is to set out what is meant by public service bodies. They include An Garda Síochána, local authorities, the Probation Service, the HSE and Tusla. There is nothing in the later sections to prevent that definition from being expanded. In the context of the specific purposes of this section, which does not impact on the membership of the local community safety partnerships, it should be noted that all of the listed bodies are represented on the local drug and alcohol task forces.

As all Senators have done, I acknowledge the huge amount of work the task forces do. The role they have, the key work they have done and their impact on communities are all extremely significant. For this specific section, however, I am concerned not to, in effect, put a forum on a forum. Many members of the task forces are already represented in the bodies listed in the section. For the setting out of the membership of the local community safety partnerships, while specific bodies that must be represented will be specified in the regulations, there will also be open roles for community organisations and representative bodies, which may include drug and alcohol task forces. The membership of the entire task force would not be included but there is scope for including one member. As well as the fact that the vast majority of the people on the task force are also members of the local authority, the HSE, Tusla, the Probation Service or the Garda, there will also be an opportunity for the community safety partnership to include another, specified member of the drug and alcohol task force. There are probably a few groups that could potentially have nearly all their members participating in the community safety partnership in some way, shape or form.

This is not at all about excluding the drug and alcohol task forces. They are very much represented but, for the purpose of this particular section, which deals with public service bodies, the representative bodies that have always been included are listed. At a later stage, as we will discuss presently, there is absolutely nothing to prevent the drug and alcohol task forces being separately represented, by way of an individual member, on the community safety partnerships. There might be somebody who has relevant experience, but is not a member, for instance, of the HSE or An Garda Síochána, who contributes hugely to a task force. Such persons will be able to have membership of the new partnerships. There is nothing to preclude them in any way, shape or form and this section is not trying to exclude them. They are already strongly represented on the bodies listed.