Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

164. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide the attendance record of her Department at all joint policing committee and city and county development board meetings since 2015 to date, in tabular form. [59687/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will be interested to note that Joint Policing Committees (JPCs) are made up of elected representatives, members of An Garda Síochána, local authority staff and community representatives. Although JPCs operate under guidelines issued by the Minister for Justice after consultation with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, my Department is not a member of any JPC or City or County Development Board.

As JPCs are chaired by Councillors and supported by staff in the local authorities, any attendance records would sit with the local councils.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government recently secured approval to publish the landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill. The Bill will make community safety a “whole of government responsibility” and includes the establishment of innovative local Community Safety Partnerships to develop local safety plans tailored to the priorities and needs identified by communities themselves.

These Local Community Safety Partnerships will build on and replace the existing Joint Policing Committees (JPCs) and will provide a forum for State agencies and local community representatives to work together to act on community concerns.

Three pilot Local Community Safety Partnerships have been established in Longford, Waterford and Dublin North Inner City with an independent Chair and full-time Coordinator appointed to each pilot Partnership. Each Partnership will develop and oversee a tailored and prioritised Local Community Safety Plan which will be informed by the community itself in conjunction with public services.

Membership of the Partnerships will be broader than that of the existing JPCs and will include residents, community representatives (including youth, new communities and voluntary sector representation), business and education sector representation, relevant public services including the HSE, Tusla, An Garda Síochána and local authorities as well as local councillors.

The intention is to evaluate the pilots and apply the lessons learned to structures in the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill and the roll out of similar partnerships in communities across the country. The mid-term evaluation of the Local Community Safety Partnership Pilots is expected in Q1 2023.