Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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People on the ground are very frustrated. They have been hearing whispers of a new Garda station in Bailieborough since 2007. Since then there has been delay after delay. This saga stretches back almost two decades. In 2015, a new Garda station was announced, as a priority. Does the Government call a ten-year wait a priority? In 2016, we were told that the OPW was in legal negotiations. In 2017, it was still in legal negotiations. In 2018, a site was sourced. At the end of 2018, we were told that planning would be soon lodged. In 2019, tenders were being prepared. In 2020, we were told contracts were expected shortly and, in 2021, the same again. In 2022, we finally saw work begin and we were promised completion in 20 months. That would still have meant a completion date in late 2023, which eight years from 2015 is still very disappointing. We now know that the opening is not expected until 2026 at the earliest. To be honest, I and the residents of Bailieborough have no faith that this will materialise either. Meanwhile, gardaí still operate out of dilapidated buildings on Barrack Street in the town. The O'Higgins report described the conditions there as deplorable. That was years ago, but despite a new divisional headquarters being a priority, nothing has changed.

Bailieborough is no small outpost as it is a Garda district headquarters under the new policing model. A cybercrime unit is also promised for the new station, yet gardaí are left to work in facilities that are not fit for purpose. The building was originally an RIC barracks and was condemned in a subsequent report.

A load of parliamentary questions have been submitted by local representatives spanning as far back as 2015, and time and again the Department has responded with vague answers. I had to read back through these and read over and over how a completion date could not be provided as it was a complex process. This speaks to a certain incapability within the Government. How can it be the case that there is no set timeline for planning and no repercussions for many years of delays? The situation is completely inadequate and draws into question the competence of the Government in dealing with larger projects when it cannot progress one headquarters in one town in one country. The people of Bailieborough are tired of excuses and the gardaí are tired of waiting. We need a clear, credible timeline for completion that the public can actually trust. When will the station be completed and in use?

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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A new site for a district headquarters Garda station was purchased in Bailieborough in 2018. A Part 9 planning application was granted in December 2018. After the adjoining site was purchased in 2021, proposals were developed to extend the project to encompass the footprint of the adjacent site.

The project for a new Garda station at Bailieborough, County Cavan, includes conservation of the existing former National Irish Bank building and the construction of a new three storey over basement building to the rear of the site located on the town’s main street. A significant portion of these works are now complete. The OPW placed a contract with the main contractor on 12 November 2021 and the main works commenced in January 2022.

During the initial construction phases of the development, the adjacent site to the east was purchased with the intent to improve the health and safety aspects of the new Garda station, to enhance the operational working of the station and to increase the energy performance of the building. There was an expectation by An Garda Síochána that these improvements would be realised at some time in the future. It made sense logistically, technically and financially to undertake these changes while the contractor was on site rather than sometime in the future, especially given the level of construction inflation being experienced at that time.

The purchase was approved by the Garda estate management and the associated planning permission for the works was granted in September 2023. These works can be described as additional works to the original contract. They allowed for the provision of extra secure operational opportunities for An Garda Síochána. The changes also improved safety aspects of the project such as enhanced fire strategy and additional space for turning vehicles in the secure courtyard, which was very tight, and improved the energy performance of the building.

These extra works are progressing as part of the overall project but have added to the time needed to complete the works on the new Garda station. Additionally, the invasion of the Ukraine in February 2022 led to supply chain delays for all construction projects and the Bailieborough Garda station project was impacted. The contractor and the design team continue to work to address these issues and progress the works on the site as quickly as possible.

It is expected that all works will be completed by early 2026. Thereafter, An Garda Síochána will commence occupation of the building. The date for the opening of the station is an operational matter for An Garda Síochána.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply but it is just not good enough. I hate to repeat myself but this station was announced ten years ago. Work started almost three years ago and yet the people of Bailieborough were again told to wait. In 2023, they were told to wait and again in 2025. Now it will be 2026 but the Minister of State is still being vague. It will be early 2026, not even quarter 1 or quarter 2. It would laughable if it were not so serious, particularly for the gardaí who are working out of that station in substandard conditions. We have been told it is complex, which the Minister of State said again, that it is conservation work and supply chain issues.

People are fed up hearing why it cannot be done and just want to see it finished. The current station is falling apart. Morale among the gardaí has been hit hard and the community feels ignored. It is deeply unfair to expect front-line gardaí to work out of these conditions while announcements keep coming from Dublin with no follow-up. The least the Government and the Department can do is be honest with us. Do not tell us that it will be quarter 1, 2 or 3 only to push it out further next year. That is unfair and erodes public trust. Is the Minister of State committing to having works completed in quarter 1 of 2026?

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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As the Senator said at the outset, guards have used the barracks since the 1800s. I travelled the length and breadth of Ireland over the summer period and met politicians and gardaí crying out for new Garda stations.The gardaí in the existing station, which has been in place since the 1800s, are going to go into a new, state-of-the-art building. I was the one who purchased the site in 2018. I have come back into this job and I am as frustrated as the Senator, but delays happen. It is a massive project; it is Garda headquarters. I assure the Senator that it will be opened in early 2026. To give the exact date would be unfair on my part because it is a matter for the Garda, but I assure the Senator that the works will be completed.

Working together to deliver on this is far better than political point-scoring, which does not achieve anything. What we have to do is deliver for the people of Bailieborough. I know that is what the Senator set out to do, and that is what I want to do. I spoke to my officials about this only a couple of weeks ago and I have spoken to the Minister for Justice, and I am very confident that the Minister and I will be up in Bailieborough early in the new year.