William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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279. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will outline in detail the new format and commencement date for local community safety partnerships, which are to replace joint policing committees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25020/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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A key principle of the Report of 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.

The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, commenced on 2 April 2025, provides for the establishment of LCSPs, which will operate at each local authority level.

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.