Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this motion with regard to a district headquarter Garda station in my constituency, namely, Glenties Garda station, which has been a subject of much speculation over the past number of days following leaks from the Department that the decision may be to close this station as a district station and redeploy any of the additional staff there. Currently, there are between 30 and 40 gardaí working in the district station there, but some of these will be redeployed to the district stations of Milford and Ballyshannon. Milford is approximately 70 miles north east of Glenties and Ballyshannon is approximately 40 miles south of Glenties. As a result of the closure, some of the current six stations under the jurisdiction of Glenties Garda station - Glencolmcille, Carrick, Dungloe, Annagry, Bunbeg and Burtonport - would be left under the jurisdiction of the revised Milford sub-district and the rest under a new extended Ballyshannon sub-district. This would mean that the entire west of Donegal, virtually 90% of the Donegal Gaeltacht, would be left without a station and without the required manpower to deal with serious crime in those areas.

Donegal has been the subject of very serious crime over the past while, and over the past number of weeks in particular. I am very alarmed that this closure may happen, despite rural vandalism and crime. For example, this past weekend, a large number of sheep was stolen from a farm and a dog was mutilated as a result of individuals trying to break into a premises in the St. Johnston area of my constituency. The dog was in a small shed and was barking at the intruders and he was slashed in the throat to such an extent that the walls of the shed were covered in blood. This disgraceful attack on a defenceless and innocent animal illustrates the spiralling crime within the county.

In addition to crimes such as these, there is an ever-increasing presence of drug farms, one of which was found in Laghey in Donegal recently. Some men have been charged with that and we thank the Garda for their efforts in that regard. A car was stolen during the Donegal international rally at the weekend, a post office robbery took place in Bridgend last weekend, there have been a number of burglaries of holiday homes in the county and a number of homes of elderly people have been burgled over the past number of months. Today, sadly, we learned of the murder of a man in his 60s who lives in the Churchill area of County Donegal. The circumstances are not known at this stage, but the man was murdered in a rural part of the county. This must be reason enough to ensure that the current Garda resources available to rural areas of County Donegal are maintained.

I raise this issue tonight because people are living in fear, particularly in rural areas. Many people in my county this evening are worried, particularly elderly people. I have spoken to a number of them on the telephone today, as a result of the announcement of the murder which occurred in the past 24 hours. The Minister cannot in any way reduce Garda resources in west Donegal or any part of our county, given the close geographical connection with Northern Ireland. A total of 97% of the land mass of our county is connected to the North, and on the other side we are connected to the Atlantic Ocean, with all our ports and harbours. We have crime, we have the importation of drugs, and we have cross-Border crime as well. I hope the Minister of State has some reassuring news about this station for my constituents and the people of west Donegal in particular.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I am responding to this matter on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, who sends his apologies. Unfortunately, as the Senator probably knows, he could not be here this evening, as he has not yet mastered the ability to bilocate. The Minister has asked me to thank the Senator for raising this matter, which provides him with an opportunity to address the position of the district headquarters status of Glenties Garda station. Glenties is a district headquarters in the Donegal division. The Garda strength, as of 31 May 2012 - the latest date for which figures are available - was 52 in the Glenties district, out of a total of 433 in the Donegal division. The division is supported by 24 Garda reserves and 29 civilians who provide administrative and technical support to members of the Garda Síochána. The House will be aware that towards the end of each year, the Commissioner prepares a policing plan for the following year. In the process, he reviews all aspects of the Garda Síochána's policing model, including the deployment of personnel, the utilisation of modern technologies and the operation of Garda stations in terms of opening hours and possible closures. In addition, all divisional officers are asked to assess the level of activity in each Garda station in their areas. It must be stressed that the key objective of this ongoing review is to promote the more efficient and effective deployment of resources rather than to secure specific cash savings. The policing plan for 2013 has not yet been prepared, and therefore it is not possible for the Minister to say at this stage what it may contain, although it is expected that it will contain measures to address the ongoing issue of rationalisation of the Garda station network.

Any such proposals must be seen in a particular context. The Garda Síochána, like every other public sector body, will have to manage with reduced resources. The House will be aware that under plans agreed by the previous Government as part of its compliance with the terms of the EU-IMF agreement, Garda numbers are to be reduced. However, that reduction is being accompanied by real reform being introduced under the Croke Park agreement, which was established as part of a strategic response to the economic crisis. The Croke Park agreement is playing a key role in reform across the public service. This programme includes the reform of structures, operations and processes in order to maintain services at the highest level possible while coping with reductions in numbers. New efficiencies must be introduced so that, even with reduced staffing levels, the best possible service continues to be provided to the public. This need for efficiency is what underlies the Commissioner's proposals to close some Garda stations in 2012. It was also a key driver in the development and introduction of new Garda rosters, new processes for making payments in the Garda Síochána and a new performance and accountability framework for members of the Garda.

The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the detailed allocation of resources. The resources available in the Donegal division, which I have already outlined, are further augmented by Garda national units such as the Garda National Drugs Unit, the Criminal Assets Bureau and other specialised units. Garda management will continue to closely monitor the allocation of resources, taking account of transfers and retirements, crime trends, policing needs and operational strategies on a district, divisional and regional level. The Donegal Garda division and the Glenties Garda district will be subject to the same level of monitoring and decision making to ensure that optimum use is made of Garda resources and the best possible Garda service is provided to the public. The Garda Commissioner has reiterated the commitment of the Garda Síochána to providing a professional and effective service to the community, and he has the full support of the Minister in this regard. Before I conclude I pay tribute, on behalf of the Minister, to the Garda Síochána for the commitment and the professionalism its members display in carrying out their duties.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. I know she is not responsible for this Department or for the response she just gave, but the response was, to say the least, pitiful and shameful. It did not address in any way the concerns of people living in my area. We all know the Commissioner is responsible for detailed allocation of resources - there is nothing new in that - but the Commissioner can only deal with the resources he is given. Unfortunately, it appears that Garda stations are closing. Thirty-nine Garda stations in the State have closed over the last six months, of which three - or 8% - are in my own county. While crime is escalating because of the recession, the resources being made available to tackle that crime and protect people in their homes are not sufficient. I am not pointing the finger at the Minister of State, but if the Garda Commissioner is forced into a situation in which he must close Glenties Garda station, it is up to the Minister to provide the resources to ensure that station remains open, because it is on his head if crime escalates or if lives are lost as a result of those decisions to save a few euro. Yes, we are in difficult times, but ultimately we must protect our people. The Garda is doing an excellent job, but if one speaks to members of the force at the moment, they will say they are finding it very difficult.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The first priority of the Commissioner and the Minister is to ensure the safety of the citizen, and they are doing quite a good job in that respect. The Garda is doing an excellent job. I do not think the situation is as bleak as the Senator is painting it. I accept that he must make the argument, but I do not think it is as bad as he says. For Donegal as a whole, the resources are quite considerable, for the reasons the Senator has outlined. I cannot say for certain what will be in next year's budget in the area for which I am responsible, and I most definitely cannot guarantee a budget allocation in an area for which I am not responsible. We are in dire circumstances; the country has never been in this position before. We are trying to crawl our way out of it, and we are doing our very best.