Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Second Stage Dail Éireann — 2026-09-16 ============================================================ Barry Heneghan (IND), Dublin Bay North Ba mhaith liom chomh maith a thabhairt don Teachta Michael Healy-Rae agus a deartháir, atá anseo anois, my support. I wish Michael a speedy recovery. The Healy-Rae brothers have been nothing but welcoming to me since I was elected to this House and I see how hard they work. It is not fair that any public representative, male or female, should face violence, and my thoughts are with Michael's family. I welcome the Bill. I never stop telling the Minister that my dad was a garda, my grandfather was a garda and my great grandfather was garda. I thank the Minister and the Department staff involved in preparing this legislation and bringing it before this House. For me, this debate is about giving gardaí the tools they need to protect people. I have spoken in-depth about how I believe CCTV footage could be used more intelligently, like in other countries, in conjunction with the councils to protect people and to protect high-risk areas, particularly playgrounds, playing pitches and community facilities, and that we should give gardaí those powers. I am happy this Bill gives gardaí other powers. I welcome the practical purpose of the Bill. I understand that other aspect is something that will be looked at in a future Bill. Gardaí need clear, modern legislation that allows them to investigate crime effectively. I welcome the in-depth work that has been done to secure evidence properly. I welcome the framework for stop and search warrants and the handling of evidence. This is particularly evident and needed in my constituency. As the Minister will know, evidence is increasingly held on phones, computers and other electronic devices. Having these rules is proactive and I believe we are finally addressing a problem rather than being reactive and it helps gardaí to conduct effective investigations. I welcome protections around legal privileged material. I listened to one of the Deputies speak about parliamentary privilege and I would like to know if that will be addressed in the Minister's closing speech. I mention the clear powers and proper safeguards around accountability. Alongside these reforms, can we enable gardaí and local authorities, as I mentioned, to respond quickly through a targeted CCTV programme in areas? It is not acceptable for my constituents to be told that the gardaí and the council cannot use CCTV due to GDPR. However, when I have emailed both Garda officials and council officials regarding the use of CCTV, they both told me it is enabled. This has been mentioned in the recording devices Act 2023. Nevertheless, it is relevant to the wider question of equipping gardaí to protect our communities across our country. I would like to see a streamlined process with the Garda. It would also help with the proper installation and maintenance of community facilities. We, as public representatives, fight very hard. We work with council staff and to see community facilities destroyed is not acceptable. I would like to see better recruitment. If gardaí, nurses and teachers, who are critical workers, were given incentives to address the high rents in Dublin, it would really incentivise people into the roles. I am the youngest of my dad's five kids and I do not think someone entering the Garda could do that economically now. Given the wages, it is not viable and if we are to encourage people to join An Garda Síochána, we need to encourage them by financial means. This is something that should be addressed. Visible community policing has definitely stepped up since the Minister took up this role and I commend him on that. I have continuously said that I would like to see more in north Dublin. This on the beat garda presence is one of the biggest impacts this Government has had and it is something I hear repeatedly on the doorsteps. However, I still see antisocial behaviour across my constituency and I still hear people say the recent garda dispatch numbers were not proportionate in terms of the northside and southside. I am not having a jab at the Minister. I would like for that to be increased in the next roll-out. I welcome the Bill and the work behind it but I ask that we give gardaí better supports when they join An Garda Síochána, better supports when they in An Garda Síochána and better supports when they leave An Garda Síochána. Our community deserves better and our gardaí deserve better. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-16/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:48+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-16