Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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158. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the expected timeline for publishing a new rural safety strategy, to expand successful approaches to tackling rural crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24737/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Community safety is a top priority for my Department and everyone has the right to be safe and feel safe in their communities. Rural Ireland is no exception.

In 2019, the National Rural Safety Forum was established. The Forum comprises of a broad range of organisations, including my Department, An Garda Síochána, the IFA and stakeholders who share the common purpose of ensuring rural safety.

The Forum works to develop a nationwide network for the distribution of consistent and highly effective crime prevention advice, to increase engagement within communities and to prevent and reduce opportunities for crime. Minister of State Niall Collins addressed the most recent meeting of the Forum last month and the Forum will meet quarterly during 2025 to continue its work and to develop Ireland’s second national Rural Safety Plan.

My Department published the first national Rural Safety Plan in 2022. Minister Collins and Department officials are currently drafting the Rural Safety Plan 2025 - 2027 which will be published later this year. The Plan’s vision is to ensure people and communities in rural Ireland feel safe and are safe in their homes, places of work, and their local environments.

Achieving this vision requires a multiagency, collaborative approach including everything from having more visible Gardaí in the community to providing safe public spaces and amenities. My Department is continuing to work closely with the National Rural Safety Forum to develop impactful actions for the upcoming Rural Safety Plan.

An Garda Síochána continue to actively participate with the National Rural Safety Forum. Divisional Crime Prevention Officers, in addition to other local Garda members, continue to provide crime prevention and security advice throughout our rural communities. This advice incorporates farm safety information. Garda locally also continue to liaise with stakeholders within their communities and representative from national bodies, e.g. the IFA.

An Garda Síochána utilises social media channels and Crimecall to promote crime prevention and safety advices across a plethora of topics, including personal safety, crime prevention, home security and road safety advices. An example of this is the topic of “Sheep Worrying” being covered on the February 2025 episode.

In addition, the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which I commenced on Wednesday 2 April 2025, provides for the establishment of Local Community Safety Partnerships which will operate at each local authority level.

A key principle of the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland is that community safety requires multi-agency cooperation working in partnership with An Garda Síochána and crucially with communities themselves. The Commission's report recommended the establishment of national and local structures to bring together Departments and State agencies involved in harm prevention to promote community safety.

Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) will replace and build upon the good work of the Joint Policing Committees, supplementing this by bringing together a broader range of relevant stakeholders including local councillors, An Garda Síochána, local residents, community representatives, business and education representatives, and a range of statutory agencies including the HSE, Tusla and each local authority.

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

Section 114 of the PSCS Act provides for the making of regulations to establish the Local Community Safety Partnerships. Officials in my Department are working with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to finalise these regulations, which I anticipate will be completed very shortly. The LCSPs will be established as soon as is practicable following completion of the regulations.