I thank the Minister of State. It is important that we place on record our gratitude to An Garda Síochána, particularly throughout the Covid period. It has been a very difficult period for it. Many officers have been affected by Covid, and their families have been affected as a consequence. With regard to the 139 gardaí assigned to County Longford as of 30 September, that figure is in the round very good, suggesting there is a garda for every 208 people in the county; however, I revert to the point I made about off…

This follows on from a similar theme, that of community policing. What plans has the Minister of State in place for the expansion of Garda CCTV? Could he make a statement on the matter if possible?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I thank the Minister of State for his response. We all agree that the three planks of crime prevention and investigation are Garda numbers, technology, and surveillance and information. It is important that we keep abreast of technology. The more money we can invest and the more CCTV schemes we can put in place, the better. The schemes comprise one of the most important deterrents, particularly regarding low-level street crime and antisocial behaviour. I am concerned that there …

I thank the Minister of State. We are very much aware of the investment in the CCTV system for the Garda in Longford town. Work is ongoing on the expansion of the Garda station there. As part of that development, there will be a CCTV control room, which will be a state-of-the-art operation for local gardaí. This has reassured the Longford public at large. We are very fortunate in Longford that we have a very effective community policing team and this, in tandem with the CCTV programme, will be a genuine step forwar…

At the outset, it is of the utmost importance that we reassure the general public. We need to make it clear that the seven-day positive-test percentage is continuing to fall. In the past seven days, we have tested nearly 210,000 people. Yesterday saw hospitalisations down from 639 to 609. That is still a high number. We need the number to continue to decline to take the pressure off our hard-pressed hospital staff. There is no doubt it is a challenging environment. It is also important that we keep what is still a …

Despite unprecedented attention for forestry at the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, it seems we are no closer to a solution in a crisis that affects not only rural Ireland and producers but has the potential to derail any housing recovery. Zero progress has been made on afforestation, with fewer than ten licences issuing each week and a two-year waiting list. I was probably naive when I became a member of the committee 15 months ago and I heard the scale of the problems in the sector. I said it…

Will the Minister comment on IDA Ireland's commitment to deliver an advanced building solution for Longford town before the end of 2024? Will he also indicate whether a site for the venture has been identified?

I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. I am very pleased that an advanced building solution is now a Government priority for inward investment in County Longford, in line with similar comments from IDA Ireland. Ann-Marie Tierney-Le Roux, head of regional business development, told a recent meeting of Longford County Council that the agency is committed to developing a committed facility in Longford town. It is very much a case of build it and they will come. The Tánaiste will agree that the challenge at the moment is …

I agree that "advanced building solution" is not the best term. I am old enough to remember when we referred to such premises as advanced factories, which probably made more sense. It is very good that IDA Ireland is committed to such a facility for Longford but it would be a missed opportunity if we allowed it to take the easiest solution by simply acquiring the lands owned by the county council in the immediate vicinity of the Abbott site. What Longford really needs is to get the advanced building solution up and…

Will the Minister outline the supports provided in 2020 by agencies under the remit of his Department to support businesses and jobs in County Longford and the way in which these supports will be enhanced by budget 2022?

I thank the Minister of State. It is great to see such a strong focus on enterprise and industry in Longford this evening in the replies of both the Minister of State and the Tánaiste. He is correct in emphasising there is a three-pronged approach to job creation and stimulus in the nation, which starts with the local enterprise office. We are extremely lucky to have a very diligent and hard-working local enterprise office in County Longford. Even in recent weeks it has capitalised on the streetscape initiative and…

The Minister will be aware that Garda numbers have fallen for the past five consecutive months and are now at their lowest since January 2020. This is a cause of concern and annoyance within the force but also across rural communities. Will the Minister of State give some figures on the number of personnel in each Garda station in County Longford?

The Minister may be aware that an unexpected but very beneficial consequence of the Covid pandemic was that trainee gardaí from Templemore were dispatched nationwide to support the Covid policing effort. This was transformative in County Longford because it allowed stations to move from a traditional roster of six ten-hour shifts to a more effective and productive roster of four 12-hour shifts. It greatly enhanced the visibility of officers on the street. The additional officers deployed in Longford throughout Covi…

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate that the programme for Government has an ambitious target for the growth of garda numbers nationwide but Garda strength fell from a high of 14,500 in 2009 to 12,800 in 2014. It is great that we will have 450 new officers coming out of Templemore this year. I emphasise that a significant number of those new officers need to be deployed in rural Ireland, specifically in counties such as Longford.

I will take this opportunity to acknowledge the vaccination team at Newtownforbes in County Longford. I am aware the Minister visited there a number of months ago and that he was greatly impressed with all that he saw. As of 3 p.m. today the centre has administered 27,600 vaccines, and that number is set to rise further as the centre remains open with its walk-in clinic today until 8 p.m. this evening. They also have two further walk-in clinics planned for next week to capitalise on people having some free time dur…

I welcome budget 2022. It is an important first step in many key areas, namely, health, housing, education, social protection and mental health. Budgets by their nature are incremental and, over the coming years, we will start to see the full impact of budget 2022. It will be seen for what it is, that being, a real budget for change and a budget for a better Ireland. A key request for County Longford in the budget was a continued commitment to compensation for Longford County Council for the loss of €1.3 million in…

Will provision be made for the continuation of compensation for local authorities in Longford and Offaly for the loss of commercial rates revenue as a result of the escalation of decarbonisation and the closure of power plants? The Loughrea power station in County Longford was the largest rate payer in the county at €1.2 million annually. That compares dramatically with the average rate bill locally which is just €1,800. The report from the Just Transition Commissioner, Mr. Kieran Mulvey, was very specific on this …

I welcome this week's announcement of approval by the Cabinet for a special admission programme for Afghan nationals. While it is welcome, I have some recommendations that have been articulated very succinctly by Deputy Gannon and the Irish Refugee Council. I feel the proposed commencement date should be brought forward to October to reflect the urgency of the situation in Afghanistan and the real risk to individuals there at the moment. I also feel it needs to remain open for a reasonable length of time to allow p…

I ask the Taoiseach for an update on a proposal to extend the gas pipeline to Longford town from Ballymahon, where it currently services Center Parcs, under the climate change action plan. The council has made a submission for the extension to Longford town under the climate action plan and it is currently being reviewed. Local employers, including Panelto and Birds Eye, are keen to see it progressed as they are reviewing their energy usage and have plans for further development at their site. There are also immine…

While the revision in the property tax bands is largely a good news story for the people of County Longford, on a personal level there is concern about the threat to future funding of Longford County Council as a result of the proposal. At present, just over 17,000 properties are registered in County Longford for the LPT and 79% of them or more than two thirds of the properties are in the lowest band, that is, bands 1 and 2. In the proposed bands, more than one third of Longford households will face a smaller LPT b…