Over the last four budgets I have been focused on consistently ramping up and providing funding when it comes to equipment, uniform, vehicles and new types of technology for An Garda Síochána. I want to continue to ramp up that support so they can do even more. The budget for next year is €2.3 billion, an increase of 23% since 2020. This further allows for: the roll-out of the highest number of mobility devices ever, allowing all gardaí to conduct their tasks outside the station and not have to return to the statio…

More broadly, An Garda Síochána is moving to a digital structure, which did not exist previously. I acknowledge there has been a huge amount of change in a short time. The new computer-aided dispatch, CAD, system, GardaSAFE, is operational across all regions and is a new departure in the way gardaí respond to calls in which information has been taken and stored. This move is helpful and useful. On rural crime, Operation Thor was launched in recent years to respond to burglaries. It uses intelligence-led Garda work …

In relation to body-worn cameras, the legislation was signed by the President on 5 December and the Garda will be rolling out proof of concept in three areas of the country. That will be followed by a pilot later in the year where we will then have the tender process. Technology is important for gardaí to protect themselves, record scenes accurately and, when at the scene of a crime, record what happens immediately afterwards. If they are in the midst of an incident such as the riots we saw two weeks ago, they woul…

As the Deputy will be aware, when the Departments are issuing visas and residence permits, it is not just the responsibility of my Department but also of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Both Departments work closely together to ensure that labour market migration arrangements are fair, efficient and responsive to the needs of our society and, more generally, our economy. The Government agreed in principle last year that a single application procedure for employment permits and immigration permis…

What we have seen in recent months and years is a significant increase in the number of people applying for work visas or for reunification, and in the number of people applying for international protection. The number of Ukrainian people who are seeking assistance here has also continued to grow over the past number of years. That obviously puts pressure on a system. We try to make sure that any application is dealt with as quickly as possible from our side. Where somebody is going through a vetting process, that …

I thank the Deputy for this question. As he will be aware, as I am sure other colleagues are, the Independent Reporting Commission is the body established under the Fresh Start Agreement of 2015 to report on measures aimed at ending paramilitarism. The commission submitted its first report to the UK and Irish Governments back in 2018, and the sixth and most recent report on 5 December. Both the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I have welcomed the report of the commission, and I laid it before Cabinet las…

I agree with the Deputy. This is an important recommendation which the Government and I will support. In my engagement with the British Government, it also supports it. It is about finding a mechanism by which everybody involved supports it fully. There are ongoing situations in Northern Ireland - there is no functioning Executive and there are a number of parties there. It is about making sure all parties that are potentially impacted, including communities, are in agreement on how we move forward. It is a bold mo…

I agree. I have met the members of the Independent Reporting Commission several times. They have all been appointed for their own reasons and their experience. The way in which they have engaged with and in the community has been positive. They gained the trust of a lot of people, have been engaged and worked in a proactive and positive manner. Any of the recommendations, whether this or others, have been made through detailed consideration and active engagement with the communities on the ground, those most impact…

From the outset, I assure the Deputy that the development of a substantial new Garda station and facilities on Dublin City Council lands at the corner of the R139 and the Malahide Road at Northern Cross is considered a strategic priority for An Garda Síochána and has the full support of Government. I believe the station would be a great addition, and that is the view of An Garda Síochána, not least because of the landmark location. It is in a high visibility area with a huge catchment. There is obviously significan…

I am not aware that any final decision to that effect has been made. However, if it is a new divisional headquarters, which is a significant development in itself, there will have to be a review of the resources within the vicinity. That would include local Garda stations. The most important thing is to get this project moving as quickly as possible. As the Deputy said, this is an area of strategic importance. It is a community developing at a rapid pace. It straddles two local authority areas as well as being a ma…

I again reiterate my support for this project, and the full support of An Garda Síochána, the OPW and the wider community for this project. We are hopefully turning a corner in achieving progress and getting that across the line. I intend to have further meetings with An Garda Síochána more generally on capital projects in the new year. I hope we will have some progress made at that point. However, I think everybody involved in the development of this station needs to do everything they can to make sure it progress…

On the overall figures, I have a breakdown for community gardaí in the DMR region 2019 in comparison to 2023. This includes DMR east, DMR north, DMR central, DMR north central, DMR south, DMR south central and DMR west. The figures were 301 in 2019. They are 276 in 2023. While that is a decrease of 25, there has also been a decrease in our overall garda numbers since the pandemic due to the closure of the college to new recruits. We have seen a decrease but I am positive we are now in a situation where our garda nu…

I fully agree with the Deputy that gardaí, and community gardaí in particular, are an integral part of the community, whether in a rural or urban setting. People feel safe and secure when they know they can pick up the telephone and contact a community garda. Engagement can take place at public meetings or by directly engaging with the garda on issues arising in the community. I recently attended the retirement function of a local Garda member who did exactly that type of work and was very well respected, known and…

For the most part, for the community gardaí I have met in the various Dublin stations in recent weeks and months, much of their work was and still is going into schools and engaging with younger people where they can. They are getting back into that now after the Covid period, where it was not happening in the same way. That had a detrimental impact and will continue to have a detrimental impact in the years to come. Community gardaí are back in the schools working with younger people and engaging with the youth ju…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes: — that, as a nation who over centuries saw so many Irish people emigrate to find safety or work, the Irish people understand what it means to be a migrant, and know how much Irish emigrants contributed to the social and economic fabric of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and so many countries around the world; — that Ireland is at full employment with many employers reporting skills shortages in cr…

These amendments follow on from previous amendments made to the Bill in the Dáil arising from proposals made by Deputies on the issue of the prominence of the Irish language in the names of newly established bodies. The Bill already provides for Irish language names for the various policing bodies, in line with the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021. I did not include the reformed body which replaces the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission in the initial set of amendments, as I wanted to give further considera…

I thank the Senator. At the outset, I understand why she is proposing this amendment. The overall objective is to make sure nobody is left out of the terminology used. What we have tried to do, and I will say similar about some of the other amendments, is not be so prescriptive as to potentially exclude people. In this particular section, the term "vulnerable" is used in conjunction with "at risk". The definition of "at risk", in the same section of the Bill, is "in relation to an individual, means an individual, i…

I will speak to amendments No. 4 and 5 because both relate to the independent examiner and the role he or she will be given in adjudicating. While the independent examiner has many important and significant roles under this Bill, I do not think it is appropriate for him or her to have this particularly expanded determination focus. The remit of the examiner relates to security only, whereas for the Minister for Justice, there is a clear remit with regard to both policing and security of the State. The Minister is p…

I too welcome the visitors in the Gallery. I am not sure we will get to that section. We are working through the Bill anyway and are obviously committed to working with all of them as the Bill progresses and beyond. Obviously the amendments collectively are relating to policing principles. I will speak to the first one and then group the others together. Amendment No. 7 proposes to add the phrase "in accordance with law". The principles of policing services are to be provided both independently and impartially. Thi…

The Senator alluded to it in her last comment. Community safety can mean different things to different people. To her last point, it can mean somebody who takes the law into his or her own hands, or tries to because of his or her perception of a person or group of people in that individual's community. Nobody is above the law. That is why we have An Garda Síochána; to make sure the laws are upheld. Safety can mean different things to different people. It can mean a person who is isolated and living on his or her ow…