Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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109. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the acquisition and selection of a site for the new Garda regional headquarters in County Sligo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51495/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Garda Station Building and Refurbishment Programme 2016-2021, which is an ambitious 5 year Programme that will benefit over thirty locations around the country, includes over €60million of Exchequer funding as part of the Capital Plan as well as a major Public Private Partnership project. Under the Programme, new Garda station is to be provided in Sligo, together with stations in Macroom and Clonmel, by means of Public Private Partnership. 

In order to secure a suitable site for the Sligo development, the Office of Public Works placed advertisements in local and national newspapers in January 2017 seeking expressions of interest from property owners or developers with returns received in February 2017. The Office of Public Works, together with Local Garda Management, reviewed the submitted proposals in early April 2017 and a number of suitable sites have been identified as possible options for the development.

In this context, the Office of Public Works is now actively progressing the acquisition of a site and it is understood that the aim is to reach agreement on the purchase of a suitable site shortly.

Until however, the site acquisition is completed it is not possible to provide exact timelines around construction of thee new station.

Pending the development of the new station, local Garda management and the Office of Public Works have been working closely to develop proposals to improve the accommodation situation in the existing station. This includes exploring options for the relocation of certain functions outside the station and reconfiguring the premises to meet the needs of front line operational personnel and to address space or health and safety concerns. Other short-term measures have been taken to address and improve the accommodation situation at the station; for example, works to fully refurbish the toilets above the public office were completed in late July 2016 and a new industrial-standard kitchen facility has been installed.