Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach arís. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Perry for coming to the House to take this Adjournment matter. I am sure he is doing so on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter.

Many will be aware of the distressing case in Mullach in County Clare in which an elderly farmer was robbed in his own house on multiple occasions. On the second occasion, he became so fearful of staying in his house that he opted to cycle eight hours into Ennis and check himself into St. Joseph's nursing home and has not returned to his home since.

I realise as much as anybody else that it is completely impractical to have a member of An Garda Síochána at every crossroads and protecting every old person, given the sparse nature of the rural population. There were elderly persons living for many generations in practically every part of rural Ireland. There are significant rural areas in the Minister of State's constituency and he will appreciate exactly where I am coming from in the case I am about to make.

For many years, thousands of volunteers throughout this country have engaged in Community Alert and Neighbourhood Watch schemes, and the Government has made resources available over many years to provide mobile alarm systems and panic buttons to the elderly. This all is welcome. The U-turn that the Government made following the budget, in which it had reduced by 50% the €1.2 million being made available for panic buttons, was welcome, but we need to have a debate on policing and advising the elderly on being security-conscious. I believe we should consider increasing the remit of the Garda Reserve to include making the elderly more security-conscious. The Garda Reserve is doing fantastic work as it is, but there is a role for it in supporting the community volunteers throughout Ireland who are endeavouring to make the elderly feel safe in their homes. Every elderly person - indeed, every person - would consider their home their castle, but it is not their castle if they do not feel safe.

We as a Government have scarce resources, and we are trying to channel them as best we can. With that in mind, I believe that the Garda Reserve could have a significant role to play in making the elderly feel safe in their homes. I want to see a dedicated programme within the Garda Reserve in terms of education and awareness and facilitating and supporting the community volunteers who engage in helping the elderly feel secure in their homes.

We have a responsibility to the generations who have made this country what it is. What happened in west Clare is a disgrace. What happened in Donegal late last year is also a disgrace. We will not be able to put gardaí in every corner, and the Garda Commissioner is doing his best with the limited resources he has in the new economic reality. Therefore, we need to have a debate on the Garda Reserve to see how best we can utilise its resources in areas where they are needed most. Advising the elderly on how to be safe in their homes is an area that warrants greater activity within the Garda Reserve.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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As the Minister for Justice and Equality is unavoidably detained elsewhere, I have been asked by him to respond to this issue. I thank the Senator for raising this important matter.

As the Senator will be aware, the Garda Reserve was established to enhance the links between the Garda Síochána and local communities through the deployment of locally recruited volunteers who operate in support of full-time colleagues. There are currently 1,164 attested reserve gardaí, with a further 99 at various stages of training. Garda Reserve members make a real and tangible contribution to policing right across the country and the Minister is fully supportive of its continued development. In this regard, recruitment to the reserve and training of new reserve members is ongoing.

Under section 15(5) of the Garda Síochána Act, the range of powers and duties of members of the Garda Reserve is a matter for the Garda Commissioner to determine. The Garda Commissioner initially determined that the duties of a Garda Reserve member shall include the following: station duty, other than the care and custody of prisoners; assistant to the station orderly; communications room duty, to include monitoring of closed circuit television, CCTV; foot patrol, accompanied by a member of the full-time Garda service; static security duty; road traffic checkpoint duties, accompanied by a full-time member; duty at the outer cordon of major events such as festivals and major sporting events; assisting in the event of accidents, fires and major emergencies; giving evidence in court; and community and neighbourhood policing.

The Garda Commissioner carried out an internal review of the reserve and has since decided to extend the powers and functions of Garda Reserve members to such areas as domestic violence, child protection, conflict resolution, Garda policy on bullying and harassment, out-of-vehicle safety training, OVST, first aid and Ampel Probe training. Continuous professional development courses are also to be provided annually to Garda Reserve on a divisional basis. Training in these new areas commenced in 2012 and almost all of the reserve members have now been trained in the new powers.

The following provisions were also introduced: a mentor-tutor Garda for the Garda Reserve; a formal appraisal system; the issuing of TETRA radios to all Garda Reserve members when going on duty; powers under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Acts 1994 to 2011, and under section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as amended, in relation to the seizure of vehicles; the ability to issue fixed charged penalty notices and serve summonses; communication of the Garda Reserve role and various functions to full-time members through media such as promotion courses, the continuous professional development programme and the Garda portal; and the carrying out of exit interviews.

It is not intended to further extend the powers of members of the Garda Reserve at this time. It must be borne in mind that the reserves are a part-time element of the force and, while they are a great asset to the Garda, they cannot be expected to perform the same duties as fully-trained members.

Garda Reserve members, like any members of An Garda Síochána, interact and engage with communities and provide crime-prevention advice. The document An Garda Síochána Older People Strategy advocates the following actions: the development and maintenance of effective communication links between An Garda Síochána and older people; the delivery of a timely and effective proactive response by An Garda Síochána for older people; actions to increase trust and confidence by lessening the fear of crime among older people; and indicators to determine and respond to the needs and expectations of older people on an ongoing basis.

These actions are achieved through various community policing initiatives and crime prevention programmes. Community policing is the underpinning philosophy and ethos through which the Garda Síochána delivers its service to the community. All gardaí, including reserve gardaí, are responsible for delivering a community policing service and delivering Garda functions outlined under section 7(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005. In conclusion, I assure the Senator that the Government is and will continue to be fully committed to the Garda Reserve, and recruitment is ongoing to further strengthen and reinforce the reserve.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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This is not even a supplementary question, but in fairness to whatever civil servant drafted that reply, I do not believe he or she got the concept behind my proposal. It is most likely that the Garda Síochána Act 2005 will be amended in any event in light of events at the Committee of Public Accounts and so on. When that happens, I will propose that a role in law be prescribed for the Garda Reserve in supporting community groups by advising vulnerable older people. However, I thank the Minister of State and I appreciate that reply.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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In a final response, the services, in fairness, have been extended massively, and the Commissioner also can determine additional duties. I thank the Senator for his comments, which have been noted and which I will bring to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Shatter. Since its establishment, the Garda Reserve has been of great benefit to An Garda Síochána and to society in general and the Garda Reserve is held in the highest esteem. As already outlined, a comprehensive review of the reserve was carried out in 2012, the outcome of which was to provide further powers and responsibilities, which have been added, as well as ensuring that its members' skills are cultivated and supported through their experience. I am fully confident that the use of these additional powers and functions by members of the Garda Reserve will further enhance their status within the organisation and within the community they serve.