Jim O'Callaghan

I thank the Deputy for his question. The introduction of the new garda operating model, which has been rolled out in the Kilkenny-Carlow Garda division, will provide more front-line gardaí, increased Garda visibility and a wider range of policing services for people in Carlow and Kilkenny. It is important to emphasise this supports greater service delivery across the division through four functio…

I am interested in what the Deputy said about the reduction in numbers in Graiguenamanagh and other areas in Kilkenny. I will keep a close eye on this. When people are attested as members of An Garda Síochána, the Commissioner decides where they should be allocated. It is extremely important there is fair allocation throughout the country. It is not an operational matter for me and I cannot get in…

Garda properties are valuable resources. If we have them, we should use them for the benefit of the State or the benefit of the public in having a Garda presence there. I will raise that issue with my Department. The Deputy also made a very valid point about how the public want to see members of An Garda Síochána on the ground. We sometimes take that for granted. In many countries, communities do…

It is important to remember we have civilianised much of the Garda force. At present, we have approximately 14,200 attested members of An Garda Síochána and approximately 3,500 civilian members who also work for the force. In recent years, as a result of civilianising or using civilians for tasks that were previously performed by the gardaí, we have managed to get approximately 900 gardaí back ou…

I thank the Deputy. I am conscious of the intake capacity into Templemore. As I said, if we can get 225 in each time, they would be very good numbers. Recently, we have been getting up to 201 and we are doing very well. The Deputy mentioned the numbers of attestations for 2023 and 2024. The 2023 number was higher than 2024. That was because in 2023 there were five attestations as opposed to four …

I thank the Deputy. I will deal with the last point first. A recruitment and training capacity group has been established to support the achievement of increased recruitment in An Garda Síochána. The group is due to report to me in mid-2025. It is looking at a range of issues, including how to ensure that there is the training capacity to meet the Government's ambitious recruitment targets for the…

I thank Deputy Bennett. I welcome the fact that she has asked me a question related to domestic and gender-based violence. It is an extremely important issue. My predecessor did much excellent work in that area. It is an area that I am committed to working on as well. The Deputy will be aware that there have been a number of developments in Ireland in recent years in respect of combating domestic …

We should look at where we are. At present, we have approximately 159 refuge units. As I said, another 54 are set to be either under construction or are due for refurbishment in 2025. This will bring the total number of units, including those under construction, to 213 by the end of the year. In addition to the development of refuge spaces, Cuan and I are committed to delivering additional safe h…

My priority is to get a domestic violence refuge for the Cavan and Monaghan region as quickly as possible. The Deputy is looking for two. We need to get one in there, I would have thought, immediately and promptly. That is what I am working on. As stated, a lot of work is being done with key stakeholders in terms of progressing the development of an eight-unit refuge for the region that would incl…

We are trying to do it. We have a target of getting up to 280. That is the target I am seeking to achieve. I understand the concerns of Deputies Bennett and Carthy regarding the fact that there is not a refuge centre in Cavan-Monaghan. The Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth, has spoken to me about this. Deputy Brendan Smith has done so as well. This is something I want to expedite. I want to en…

As the Deputy will be aware, the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, which was enacted by the Houses of the Oireachtas last year, is yet to be commenced. I intend to commence it shortly. The new Act continues to honour Ireland’s commitments under the existing 2002 agreement between the Irish and British Governments on police co-operation. When the Act is commenced, section 94 will allow t…

The Deputy makes a valid point. We are at a stage where we are trying to recruit as many members into An Garda Síochána as we can. The Deputy has indicated that there are serving PSNI officers living in this jurisdiction who would like to become members of An Garda Síochána. At present, their difficulty is that in order to become a member of An Garda Síochána through the standard route, they would…

Another relevant point is that there is nothing stopping people in the North who are not in the PSNI from applying to become members of An Garda Síochána. I suspect the terms and conditions of An Garda Síochána are more favourable than those relating to people who join the PSNI. That is something we need to focus on. People from the North are welcome to apply to seek to join An Garda Síochána. I …

This is an important question. The issue to which it relates is sensitive in terms of how it can be dealt with. The guardianship of infants is set out through regulation and law under the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964. A significant modernisation of the law in this area was brought about in 2015, with the enactment of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015. This legislation extensively …

The Deputy identified a good point in the context of where a child just needs a medical or educational assessment. If it is the case that the consent or agreement of both guardians is required, that can be very problematic. I accept the validity of what the Deputy says. There is the option available under section 11 of the guardianship Act that allows for an application to be made to the District …

If it is the case that the matter has to go to court and the consent cannot be obtained, for example, where the other parent has no involvement in the child’s life, I would have thought that a District Court judge would take that into account and recognise that there has to be some practical solution to the application that is being brought if the parent who is minding the child needs to get the a…

I thank the Deputy for raising the question on the numbers of gardaí in County Louth. I have been advised by An Garda Síochána that the numbers deployed tackling drug crime specifically cannot be shared for operational reasons. I commend An Garda Síochána on its excellent work yesterday or the day before when it apprehended a very large seizure of cocaine that was illegally and unlawfully brought …

This is the first opportunity I have had to address the House since the Leas-Cheann Comhairle was elected. I want to do publicly what I have done privately and congratulate him on his election. He has a reputation for representing the interests of Members of this House fearlessly, and that will serve him well in the office of Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I wish all the best in the future.

I also welcome that we are having statements today on policing and safety in our communities. As Minister for Justice, I assure the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Members of the House that my priority is to ensure the people can live in communities which they regard as enjoyable and safe. That is not just my priority. I know it is also the priority of my colleagues in the Department of Justice and the …

I welcome the fact that Members have come in. The point I was making is that we need to be aware of what people expect of our justice system and policing in our community. People expect that, if there is criminal activity, An Garda Síochána will investigate it promptly. They also expect that, if there is suspicion of criminal activity and there is sufficient evidence, it will be brought before the…

Maybe I am driving people away. We have five.

Will I continue then? We have five with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. This is a serious debate; it is an important debate. Policing and safety in our community comprise one of the issues raised with me and my colleagues most regularly by constituents and I do not believe it should be used as an opportunity for playacting or trying to use the rules for some short-term political gain. If we want to h…

There are six Deputies present. As I was saying, this is an important debate and I would appreciate it if people would listen to what we are saying. There is an important message that the Government wants to put out. As I said, I will be unhesitatingly supportive of An Garda Síochána in the pursuit of law and order. I ask other Members of the House to be supportive of An Garda Síochána as well. It…

Thank you.

Yes. The Deputy might give me his name after the debate.