Written answers
Thursday, 20 March 2025
Department of Justice and Equality
An Garda Síochána
Shay Brennan (Dublin Rathdown, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
191. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for an update on the provision of body worn cameras to all members of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12576/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
The Garda Commissioner is responsible, under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), for the management and administration of Garda business. This includes all operational policing matters. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions.
An Garda Síochána needs modern tools and equipment to help our Gardaí do their jobs in protecting people from harm and saving lives. This includes equipping all frontline Gardaí with bodycams which is something I am committed to progressing, as outlined in the Programme for Government. Using technology to enhance policing services is part of the Garda Digital Strategy, and another step towards the overall goal of developing an information-led policing service. As part of Budget 2025, €100m of funding has been provided for ICT to equip Gardaí with the necessary tools to enhance crime prevention and detection.
Currently the 'proof of concept' phase for body-worn cameras is ongoing in selected stations in three locations: Dublin, Waterford and Limerick. The purpose of the trial is to assess how body-worn cameras and digital evidence management systems will be used operationally and to inform the technical design, required infrastructure and procurement process for the national solution for all of An Garda Síochána. There are 600 body-worn cameras in use across the five proof of concept stations including in three Dublin stations, namely Kevin Street, Pearse Street, and Store Street, and also in Limerick’s Henry Street Station and Waterford Garda Station.
The learnings from the proof of concept in Dublin, Limerick and Waterford will inform the national deployment of body-worn cameras and provide more of an insight into how they can impact interactions with Gardaí.
My priority now is to support An Garda Síochána to move towards a nationwide roll-out of body worn cameras, and the development of a new digital evidence management system. The experiences of the Gardaí on the ground will be invaluable in informing how best this technology can be rolled out in the future.
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
192. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will establish a historical investigations unit to allow for independent police investigations into unresolved deaths and incidents of torture or ill-treatment, as proposed by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and the Committee on the Administration of Justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12803/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
The Deputy will be aware that the Historical Investigation Unit structure, as proposed in the Stormont House Agreement, was specific to Northern Ireland. In this jurisdiction the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, led by the Assistant Commissioner for Organised and Serious Crime, holds a national investigative remit and is specialised in the area of major crime investigation. It undertakes and supports investigations on the direction of the Garda Commissioner.
More generally, the expertise of the Serious Crime Review Team (SCRT), which was established in 2007 to provide for independent review of historical investigations, including homicides, is available where appropriate. The purpose of a review conducted by the SCRT is to assist the Senior Investigating Officer with the criminal investigation. These reviews constitute an independent examination of evidence and other material, gathered during investigation and to ensure that it conforms to approved standards; that the investigation has been thorough, conducted with integrity and objectivity; and to identify further investigative opportunities. The remit of the SCRT is broad and would include reviews of troubles-related cases, where appropriate.
I am assured that, in circumstances where historic offences have not been resolved, the investigations remain open and the Garda Authorities will, and do, follow up fully, on any new evidence or information that becomes available to them, whether that comes from the public, from other police services or from their own investigations.
I note that the legacy mechanisms in Northern Ireland referenced in the report mentioned by the Deputy such as the PSNI Legacy Investigations Branch and Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman legacy investigations have been closed down by the UK Legacy Act. I can assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to fulfil our shared responsibilities as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. The Programme for Government explicitly states our commitment to play our full part in legacy processes and to address the legacy of the conflict in this jurisdiction. The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and I continue to engage with the British Government in this regard.
Supplementary Material
The ICCL and CAJ recently published a report following their roundtable event, Policing for Peace and the Commitment to “Repeal and Replace” the Northern Ireland Legacy Act: How should the Irish government deal with legacy investigations in its jurisdiction?. The roundtable considered ways to address conflict-related deaths and other historic human rights violations by State actors, including An Garda Síochána, and abuses by non-State actors in related cases in the Republic. Various cases are referenced:
- Sallins
- Dublin Monaghan bombings
- The hooded men case before the ECHR.
- Shane O’Farrell.
- Una Lynskey and Martin Kerrigan.
- Dennis Donaldson
- Magdalene laundries/ mother and baby homes
- Kingsmill inquest
HIU proposal
Establish an independent, time-bound Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) in the South, similar to the one provided for in the North in the Stormont House Agreement (SHA) but never implemented. A HIU would allow for effective and independent police investigations into unresolved deaths and incidents of torture or ill-treatment, based on the procedural obligations in Articles 2 and 3 of the ECHR. It would focus on assigning criminal responsibility for individual cases. A timeframe of 1968 to the 2020s is suggested to allow a HIU to investigate unresolved cases, beginning with violations that emerged during the period of the conflict. More recent and any future allegations of Garda misconduct will be investigated by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) and the soon to be established Office of the Police Ombudsman, provided complaints are made within one year of an alleged incident.
While there have been ad-hoc “historical” or “cold case” reviews of cases led by An Garda Síochána in the past, no dedicated independent processes have ever been established. GSOC has not been empowered to effectively investigate historic cases of alleged police misconduct. There is therefore no established pool of cases for a HIU to draw on. What is clear is that there is a need to examine a range of different types of miscarriages of justice and ill-treatment in custody in order to comply with the ECHR, including cases which relate to the Troubles (e.g., the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the Sallins train robbery) and ones which do not (e.g., the Shane O’Farrell case).
Based on the SHA model, legislation could establish a HIU to address individual outstanding cases of misconduct and criminal offences by both State and non-State actors. Such investigations must establish the facts to an ECHR-compatible standard, identify those responsible and facilitate prosecution if required. The decision to prosecute would be confined to the Director of Public Prosecutions as Gardaí do not have powers to prosecute in such serious cases. In the meantime, any internal investigations within An Garda Síochána such as cold-case reviews of historic cases should cease.
Crucially, a HIU would require the necessary policing powers to fulfil an investigative mandate including powers to compel disclosure of information, and it should be trauma-informed, victim-focused and gender[1]responsive. It could be overseen by the Policing and Community Safety Authority. Statutory cooperation with the British government would be an absolute necessity for its success. The HIU could aim to complete its work within a relatively short timeframe (e.g., five years) to ensure timely investigations, although this could be extended in the event of outstanding cases.
Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
194. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans for expanding capacity at Templemore Garda Training College; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12612/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
This Government will be resolute in its support of Gardaí. We want to build safe and secure communities, and a well-resourced policing service is critical to achieving that. In Budget 2025 we allocated the unprecedented sum of €2.48 billion which is allowing for sustained investment in recruitment, technology and equipment.
The overall Garda workforce, which includes Gardaí, civilian staff and Reserves currently stands at almost 18,000.
My first priority as Minister for Justice is to get more Gardaí on our streets through increased recruitment.
A number of significant measures have been made to boost recruitment including increasing the Garda trainee allowance to €354 per week, increasing the age of entry from 35 to 50 and increasing the mandatory retirement age to 62. Momentum is continuing to build in the area of recruitment and we can already see the positive effects of these measures.
We can see clearly that there is strong interest in a career in An Garda Síochána. In February the latest recruitment competition took place. It attracted just over 6,700 applicants. This builds on the 5,000 applications which were received in 2023 and the almost 6,400 last year. I would like to commend publicjobs and An Garda Síochána for the innovative and creative recruitment campaign they ran which has resulted in such strong interest.
Last week, we saw 201 trainee Gardaí enter Templemore. This is the largest intake since 2019. It is also the first of four intakes for 2025. I am committed to working with the Garda Commissioner to explore ways of increasing the number of trainees who enter Templemore.
The Programme for Government commits to examining a range of further measures to enable An Garda Síochána recruit 5,000 members across the next five years. This includes reforming the Garda recruitment and training processes to increase capacity.
I can assure the Deputy that nothing is off the table when it comes to examining measures to boost Garda recruitment and I have already had discussions with the Garda Commissioner about how best this can be achieved.
A Recruitment and Training Capacity Group has been established to support the achievement of the increased recruitment to AGS. The group will provide me with a final report in mid-2025 on actions being taking to maximise future intakes and to ensure that recruitment campaigns are as effective as possible.
No comments