Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 196: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps he will take to provide a much needed new Garda station to accommodate Garda personnel together with all the attendant facilities in Athlone, County Westmeath; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is an urgency regarding the provision of this necessary accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19055/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The detailed allocation of Garda resources, including accommodation, is a matter for the Garda Commissioner to decide in accordance with his identified operational requirements. The Garda accommodation programme is based on agreed priorities established by An Garda Síochána and it is brought forward in close cooperation with the Office of Public Works (OPW), which has responsibility for the provision and maintenance of Garda accommodation.

The provision of a new station in Athlone is a priority project in the Garda building programme. I am informed that the OPW is in the process of examining the options, including the existing site, for a new District Headquarters station in Athlone.