I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Alan Dillon. Will the Minister outline her ongoing support for the Garda Síochána Inspectorate and the mechanisms for monitoring and appraising its performance? When does she expect An Garda Síochána's strategy statement 2022-2024 to be published? Will she make a statement on the matter?

The Garda Síochána Inspectorate was established in 2006 and is supported by the Department to ensure that adequate financial resources are provided each year through the Estimates process.  The inspectorate is entirely independent in the performance of its functions and the three inspectors are supported by a small team seconded from my Department.  The budget allocation in 2022 is €1.362 million and there are nine staff members currently seconded. The mechanisms by which my Department monitors and appraises the performance of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate are set out in the oversight agreement 2022-2023, which was signed in February 2022. This document is publicly available on my Department’s website.

My Department’s criminal justice governance function has primary responsibility for the oversight of all criminal justice agencies, including the Garda Síochána Inspectorate. This team uses a number of mechanisms to carry out these duties. As set out in the oversight agreement, at least two formal meetings with the inspectorate are held every year.  Through these meetings, my officials gain a detailed insight into both the inspectorate’s performance on its agreed upon targets for the year and its adherence to the principles of good governance.

In between formal governance meetings, the inspectorate provides my Department with an in-depth update on its performance. Outside of these formal meetings and reports, there are regular, less formal engagements between my Department and the inspectorate as the need arises, including regular engagement at a senior level with the chief inspector. Together, these measures ensure that my Department is consistently well informed about the inspectorate's performance in relation to its targets. The Deputy also inquired about An Garda Síochána's strategy statement 2022-2024. Under section 21 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Commissioner prepares the strategy, which must have regard for Government policy, the policing priorities as determined by the Policing Authority, the policing principles, and the resources available. The Policing Authority approves the strategy, with the consent of the Minister. The Garda Commissioner has obtained approval from the Policing Authority for the new strategy for 2022 to 2024 as well as the policing plan for 2022. In addition, the Policing Authority has determined new policing priorities following public consultation, research, and reflection on the previous three years. As Minister, I have consented to the strategy, which will be shortly laid before the Oireachtas.

I will outline how it was developed and that might give an indication of where changes were more focused this year. An Garda Síochána took account of a broad spectrum of views in the formulation of the strategy statement. Focus groups were held with nine ethnic and culturally diverse groups from within our communities, including the Laois African Support Group, the LGBTQ+ Sligo IT, the Father Peter McVerry Trust and the Ballinamore direct provision centre. We have formal correspondence seeking the views and input from Departments as well as local authorities, non-governmental agencies and community representatives as well as individual members of the public. An Garda Síochána also sought input from the public in assisting in the development of the strategy, which closed in May of last year. The overall objectives are translated into operational measures through the day-to-day activities of policing, that is, everything from detecting crime to dealing directly with victims, looking at specific types of criminal activity including domestic violence through our DPSUs or types of fraud. It is quite a broad spectrum. I can get the Deputy a copy of the strategy for this year, which will give him more detail.

In arriving at the strategy for 2022-2024, and looking at previous strategies, were goals set out in those previous strategies? Could more have been done? Do we need to always keep two-year strategies under review to see what additional support the Garda needs in the course of its duty and in trying to deliver a safe place for everyone to live in?

Absolutely, the intention of the strategy and the fact that it is not a ten-year strategy but for a much shorter timeframe is so that it can respond to the needs and requirements of communities and the population more generally. I do not have the details in front of me but if the Deputy reads some of the previous strategies, there will be certain priorities that roll over and that are included on a continuous basis as issues arise. In more recent years there has been a particular focus on online fraud, what is referred to as romance fraud and different types of crime that are now being committed through the advancement of technology. That is not something that would have been part of an overall strategy of An Garda Síochána a number of years ago. Every year the Garda builds on the work that is done, where there is further work that is needed or where there is a clear priority that would always need to be there. Where there are new issues that arise, through the engagement with the groups such as those I mentioned in this particular term, they will identify where there are particular concerns within communities, be they new and emerging concerns or existing ones. Those specific issues are put into the policing strategy. I do not have the current strategy in front of me but I will be able to get a copy for the Deputy.