Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 450: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the opening hours of a Garda station (details supplied) in County Kildare; the number of gardaí permanently based at the station; the plans there are to increase the number of gardaí stationed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28193/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Following the submission in 2004 of a report and recommendations by an expert group on crime statistics, it was decided that the compilation and publication of crime statistics should be taken over by the Central Statistics Office, as the national statistical agency, from the Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána Act 2005 consequently makes provision for this and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose.

Following the setting up of the necessary technical systems and auditing of the data from which the statistics are compiled, the CSO is now compiling and publishing criminal statistics and has published provisional headline crime statistics since the third quarter of 2006. In addition, it has compiled and published a series of quarterly and annual statistics for the period starting with the first quarter of 2003. I understand that the CSO are examining how the crime statistics published might be expanded and made more comprehensive. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the opening hours of Ballymore Eustace Garda Station are Monday — Saturday from 2pm to 4pm. The personnel strength of Ballymore Eustace Garda Station, as of 31 October last, the latest date for which figures are available, was 1.

It is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner to allocate personnel throughout the Force taking everything into account. The situation will be kept under review and when additional personnel next become available the needs of Ballymore Eustace Garda Station will be fully considered by him within the overall context of the needs of Garda Districts/Divisions throughout the country. I have requested the CSO to provide the statistics sought by the Deputy directly to him.