Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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802. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the chairperson of the local community safety partnership for Galway City Council has been appointed; if not, to provide a timeframe for their appointment; the name of the appointee; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45130/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Community safety is about people being safe and, importantly, feeling safe in their own communities. At the heart of this policy is the principle that every community has the right to be and feel safe in order to thrive and flourish.

Our approach to community safety is a whole-of-government one. We want to bring the relevant social service providers, including the Gardaí, together with the community in a collaborative manner, by focusing on the concerns identified by the local community itself.

Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) will operate at local authority level will replace and build upon the work of Joint Policing Committees (JPCs). The LCSPs will have a wider membership than JPCs and will include residents, local councillors, community representatives (including representatives of young people, older people, new and minority communities), business and education representatives and a range of public services including the HSE, Tusla, An Garda Síochána and the local authority.

Each newly established LCSP will be required to develop and implement its own tailored community safety plan and will take a strategic approach to their work so that issues arising can be dealt with in a coordinated manner; addressed collectively by relevant service providers in partnership with the community.

The role of the chairperson will be to lead the work of the LCSP and find consensus among the partnership's members so that a tailored local community safety plan can be developed. The chairperson will also drive forward the implementation of the community safety plan across the community, in order that it delivers tangible benefits for the relevant community.

The learnings from an independent evaluation of LCSP pilots delivered in three areas - Dublin’s North Inner City, Longford and Waterford - concluded that the role of the chairperson, particularly in terms of leadership competence and experience, is central to the success of the Partnership.

The chairperson will:

• Provide leadership and strategic direction,
• Focus the LCSP on making informed decisions and solutions tailored to the needs of the specific community within which they are working,
• Develop and implement the local community safety plan in conjunction with both the community and public services, and
• Act as an advocate for the LCSP and represent the LCSP to the public, media and other stakeholders as appropriate.