Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 422: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will give a commitment that he will not sign up to the closure of any Garda station until joint policing committees, local communities and community organisations including community alert committees, parish councils and representative groups for the elderly or disabled in each affected community are consulted and have the opportunity to make their case for the station's retention. [31222/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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As with every other public sector organisation, the reality is that the Garda Síochána is going to have to manage with reduced resources. The Garda Commissioner is therefore quite properly reviewing all aspects of the Garda Síochána's policing model, so as to ensure that Garda resources are managed and deployed in the most appropriate manner to meet existing and emerging policing requirements.

The Garda Commissioner's review will examine all aspects of current policing, including the deployment of personnel, the utilisation of modern technologies and the operation of Garda stations.

While no decision has been taken, clearly the reduction in public opening hours in some Garda stations, and the closure of other Garda stations, will be issues that the Garda Commissioner will have to address as part of the review. He may well have to consider whether, in appropriate cases, a better policing service could be delivered to a local community by having Garda members out on patrol rather than in a station.

I will very carefully consider the outcome of this review and the Commissioner's policing plan for next year with the objective of ensuring that priority is given to the maintenance of frontline services.