Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)

The Senator is correct about councillors. Like her, I started my political career as a councillor, as did many Members of this and the Lower House. There is a huge benefit in being elected to a local authority by the local community. I do not think it is possible to get elected to a local authority unless one is well aware of the issues in the community. That is why it is so important the seven members of the partnerships are elected members of the local authority.

Chairperson of a partnership will be an important role. Councillors are eminently qualified for it. In drafting the regulations, I wanted to ensure councillors and anybody else would have an opportunity to put themselves forward to a partnership. In the first instance, it would be preferable if councillors put themselves forward.

We will have to watch the progression of the partnerships carefully. There were benefits to the joint policing committees, of which the Senator and I were members. They have now come to an end. We want something more than the joint policing committees. From my experience, sometimes the committees could just be a box-ticking exercise. We want people responsible for important services in the area so they can engage on policing and on community safety. That requires more than just An Garda Síochána, which has a huge amount on its desk. I thank the Senator for raising the issue. We will engage further on it in the future.