Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, to the House.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I, too, welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I am seeking an update from the Minister of State regarding the reopening of the Garda station in Ballinspittle. On page 101 of the programme for Government, there is a commitment to a pilot scheme for the reopening of some of the Garda stations closed in the last few years. In this regard, there are six stations listed for reopening, one of which is my constituency in Cork South-West, namely, Ballinspittle Garda station. The general public and the community welcome the proposed reopening of this Garda station. The community had been seeking this for some time and when the announcement was made, it was a great relief to all concerned.

As the Minister of State will be aware, Ballinspittle is a thriving little village, with a busy rural hinterland. It also has a unique tourism trade, with some fantastic beaches that are really busy in the summer. This level of activity is one of key reasons the people of Ballinspittle and the surrounding areas sought the reopening of this Garda station. Also, the community is concerned that because Ballinspittle is a coastal village any throughput of yachts or other vessels could be carrying contraband, as we witnessed during the week in relation to a vessel detained in Kinsale harbour. When will this Garda station reopen in order that the community will have access to a facility and Garda with whom they could raise concerns regarding such issues should they arise? Also, the reopening of this station might be one of the reasons such vessels would not come to that part of the world? I hope that the Minister of State can provide me with an update on the re-opening of this Garda station.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, who regrets that he cannot be here today due to other official commitments. He wishes to thank the Senator for raising this matter in the Seanad today.

I agree with the Senator that Ballinspittle is a special and lovely place. It is not part of my own area but I am familiar with it. As the Senator will be aware the programme of replacement and refurbishment of Garda accommodation is progressed by the Garda authorities working in close co-operation with the Office of Public Works, OPW, which has the responsibility for the provision and maintenance of Garda accommodation. This includes identifying and progressing any necessary remedial or refurbishment works required at individual stations. The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, has no direct role in these matters.

As the Senator may also be aware, the programme for a partnership Government commits to a pilot scheme to reopen six Garda stations, urban and rural, to determine possible positive impacts that such openings will have on criminal activity, with special emphasis on burglaries, theft and public order. I note the Senator's remarks with regard to contraband and so forth. The Garda Commissioner's final report, which is available on the Department of Justice and Equality website, recommends that Ballinspittle Garda station be reopened along with stations in Bawnboy, County Cavan, Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, Donard, County Wicklow and Rush and Stepaside, County Dublin. The Garda authorities have informed the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, that at the outset of the process the Garda authorities provided a brief of requirements to the OPW in relation to the reopening of each of these six stations and requested the OPW to undertake technical surveys to determine the works which would be necessary to enable the stations to re-open. The OPW, in turn, concluded the necessary technical surveys and advised the commissioner accordingly.

I can confirm that the Commissioner, following consideration of the OPW technical surveys of each of the six stations, has now identified the organisation’s preferred way forward, bearing in mind operational needs, costs, timeframe for delivery and other factors. Engagement between the OPW and An Garda Síochána has provided the necessary further detail to allow the pilot programme of reopenings to proceed to the next stage of implementation. Finalisation of design, planning, where required, and procurement for each of the six stations included in the pilot programme, including Ballinspittle, will now be progressed by the OPW, in conjunction with An Garda Síochána, in line with all applicable processes and procedures. It is not possible to say at this stage when Ballinspittle Garda station, or the other five stations will reopen as this depends on a number of factors, but implementation of the programme and reopening of all six stations is being pursued as a matter of priority. More generally, the Minister wishes to point out that the reopening pilot programme is part of the unprecedented attention paid by the Government in recent years to addressing the deficiencies in the Garda estate. Unprecedented resources are being provided to provide fit-for-purpose facilities for Garda members and the public interacting with them. It inevitably takes time to see the results of investment such as this. It can be hard not to be impatient but the reality is that the design, planning and procurement for building projects take time if fairness and the best possible results at the best possible value are to be ensured. However, we are now seeing the results of the unprecedented taxpayer funding provided to An Garda Síochána in recent years. For example, three new divisional and regional headquarters in Galway, Wexford and Kevin Street, Dublin, have recently been completed and have entered into operational use.

I am pleased to inform the Senator on the Minister's behalf that more than 80 stations have now benefitted from works under the cell refurbishment programme. Progress is now being made under the broader Garda building and refurbishment programme, which is progressing on the basis of €60 million in Exchequer funding. I reassure the Senator that, in this time of unprecedented investment in the Garda estate, implementation of the pilot Garda station reopening project, by which I mean completion of all works required to enable reopening of the six stations, including Ballinspittle, is being pursued as a priority.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Once it is reopened for the next election.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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It depends on when the next election will be.

I thank the Minister of State for his contribution. It is important that we keep this on the agenda and keep asking when the Garda station in Ballinspittle will be reopened. There is general concern that this has dragged on a bit. Could we put as much pressure as possible on the OPW so we can move ahead and reopen the station?

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising the matter. I assure him that the Government is committed to the pilot scheme to reopen the six Garda stations, both urban and rural, to determine possible positive impacts of such openings on criminal activity, with special emphasis on burglaries, theft and public order. This is going to happen. The Garda Commissioner's final report on the matter recommends the reopening of six Garda stations, including Ballinspittle Garda station, along with those in Bawnboy, Leighlinbridge, Donard, Rush and Stepaside. Work is progressing to enable the reopening of each of these. I understand that both the Garda and OPW are working together to reopen the stations concerned, including Ballinspittle. It is not possible at this stage to provide a definite timeframe for the reopening of the station but the programme is being implemented and the reopening of the stations is being pursued as a matter of priority. We will keep the House informed of progress.