Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 20 Jun 2024

As the Minister knows, we have just passed the 50th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, where 34 people were murdered and 258 injured in an atrocious bombing carried out by loyalists, almost certainly with the collusion of the British state or elements of it. Families and victims are still fighting for justice. The question is about the Government and the State's responsibility to assist and co-operate with them to get the truth and justice they have been campaigning for these past 50 years. What has the Government done since we met in this House a few weeks ago to discuss the tragedy?

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5, 10, 12 and 17 together.

As the Deputy correctly pointed out, last month marked the 50th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974. It is deeply regrettable that to date no person has been held responsible for what were absolutely barbaric attacks that killed 34 people, injured 258 and impacted many more lives. The Garda investigation files into these bombings and the murders that took place remain open. It is still an ongoing file. Any new evidence that comes to light, has come to light or may come to light, from whatever source, will be pursued by An Garda Síochána.

On engagement with the families and survivors, on 17 May senior Government representatives joined the families of the victims and survivors at commemorative events. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, attended, as did other colleagues. Every year, Government representatives attend these commemorations, reflecting the ongoing commitment of the Government to the victims and survivors. State level engagement by officials also takes place on a regular basis. Officials meet and engage with the families of the victims and survivors and their representative group, Justice for the Forgotten. State funding is provided to Justice for the Forgotten under the reconciliation fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs. As the Deputy knows, it is an organisation that supports families affected by the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and this support has been key in enabling the families to pursue their campaign for justice and truth.

In terms of others supports to the families and survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in their campaign for justice and truth, there are many instances where records related to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings have been made available and Department of Justice and Garda records were released to the Barron and MacEntee inquiries. More recently, I have implemented bespoke measures to enable An Garda Síochána to provide access to relevant information relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. This is for Operation Denton as part of the ongoing independent UK Kenova review. Operation Denton is an analytical review by the Kenova investigation team into the activities of a particular group of individuals known as the Glenanne gang in Northern Ireland. As an analytical review being carried out in another jurisdiction, rather than a formal criminal investigation, there was no legal basis upon which Garda assistance could be provided. This created at the time a legal obstacle to delivering on the strong desire on the part of An Garda Síochána, the Government and me to co-operate with Operation Denton to the maximum extent possible. To unblock this it was necessary to create a dedicated co-operation mechanism. In the summer of 2022, I signed a directive under section 25(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 directing the identification and preparation for release of relevant material to Operation Denton. Subsequently, in order to facilitate the transfer of information to Operation Denton, I signed the necessary data protection regulations. This assistance has been acknowledged, most recently by Sir Iain Livingstone, the head of the Kenova review, who referenced the high level of co-operation being received from An Garda Síochána and the ongoing support of the Government.

I assure the Deputy of my continuing commitment to supporting An Garda Síochána in pursuing this work and in providing the greatest assistance possible. An Garda Síochána continues to engage with Operation Denton, and anything that emerges from that review will be considered in the context of its open investigations. I again call on any person who has any information, no matter how small he or she thinks it might be, relating to the bombings to make contact with An Garda Síochána.

Finally, a core part of supporting the families is through the implementation of the all-party Dáil motions that call on the British Government to allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all relevant documents relating to a series of bombings, including the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings. This remains a priority, and again I assure the Deputy that the Government continues to raise this regularly with the British Government, most recently at the BIIGC, which took place last April. These are meetings the Tánaiste and I attend with our UK counterparts and they give us an opportunity to discuss many issues but in particular to discuss individual legacy cases with the UK Government.

We are absolutely committed to seeking out the truth behind these absolutely appalling events and to securing some measure - and I stress "some" - of comfort for the victims' families and the survivors.

There is no doubt the British Government has a lot of questions to answer, and I think most people believe it does not want to answer them because of the extent of British state collusion with the people who carried out the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and, indeed, other massacres carried out by the Glenanne gang.

The Irish Government, however, has very serious questions to answer as well. The investigations into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the greatest single atrocity in the Troubles, were closed down after ten weeks. What is the explanation for that? Where are the files relating to the decision to do that? As regards the Sackville Place bombings of 1972 and 1973, also carried out by the Glenanne gang, the investigation closed down after seven weeks. Among a series of questions I submitted to the Minister recently on foot of requests from survivors and families, I asked why the families, from 1993, when they put up a memorial to their loved ones in the Garden of Remembrance, were put under Garda surveillance and then kept under Garda surveillance for years. I asked where the files as to who ordered that are. Was it the Government? Was it the Garda? Where are the files in respect of the monitoring of the families of the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings? In the answer I got from her, basically, she said that is an operational matter for the Garda. Is she serious? If the Government is serious about getting to the truth and getting justice for the families and victims of this awful atrocity, is it seriously suggesting that that is an acceptable answer to the question as to why the families of the victims were put under Garda surveillance when they started to campaign for truth and justice?

I appreciate that this has been for a long time extremely difficult for the families. In many of the Deputy's questions he has sought information as to why no Garda files relating to this case at all can be given to the families. This is an open case. This is still an open file. This is information the Garda has relating to an ongoing case. Irrespective of whether it is something as significant, large-scale and devastating as this or an individual case relating to one or two people, if there is an open file, if there is an ongoing investigation, if gardaí have information relating to that, it can never be released and will never be provided to the families. Information has been provided to the Barron and the McEntee inquiries. Those inquiries took place and that information was provided on that sound legal basis. There is also information within my Department, but there is archives legislation which sets out when, how and where information can be provided and, obviously, the law will be adhered to in that regard. I appreciate the difficulty this puts on the families, but the Garda has not said this is a closed case. It is actively seeking information to see if anything further can be done here. It is actively engaging with operations Kenova and Denton. It is actively seeking the truth to try to find the truth and answers for the families because, as I said at the outset, it is beyond regrettable that nobody has been held responsible for these atrocities.

As a Government, we will do everything we can to continue to work with the Garda and our UK counterparts and, above all, to continue to work with the families to try to find answers and to hold somebody responsible for these atrocities.

That sounds like the families will never be given the files, will never be given an explanation and will never get the truth and justice they deserve. It is shocking beyond belief that the families and survivors of this atrocity were put under Garda surveillance. They are entitled to know who ordered that, what files were generated on foot of that and why it was done. The original investigation was closed down after ten weeks. There have to be files relating to these things, but everything is lost, cannot be found or cannot be provided to the families or the legal representatives of the families and the victims. If, as we know, Britain does not want to release this stuff because of the implications of exposing British state collusion in these atrocities, it stinks to high heaven that the Irish State is not being open and transparent about the information that is available and about decisions the Garda took, the failure to investigate and the failure to interview families and victims until Boucher knocked on their doors 40 or 45 years later. This is shocking stuff. It stinks to high heaven. What the Minister is really saying is that we will never know the truth until the Garda decides to disclose the information, and it will probably never disclose the information because there are very serious questions to be answered.

It really is not good enough, and the Government has to do something here. Ultimately, the Garda is answerable to the Department of Justice and to the Government.

What has been made very clear is that the Garda is engaging. In fact, as regards the structures that needed to be put in place to allow the Garda to provide information where it could not with the ongoing investigation, those measures were implemented and changed in order that gardaí could provide the information they have. It has been made very clear to me that the information is being provided, that they are co-operating and that they want to engage and want to undercover the truth here, just like all of us. I appreciate from the point of view of the families the disappointment at not being able to access certain information. However, when there is a file that is open and ongoing, irrespective of the case, the number of people involved or when it happened, information that might prejudice an ongoing case cannot be provided. We need to make sure we continue to do everything we can to uncover the truth here, and that is exactly what this Government has done over many years. Again, I cannot stress how regrettable it is that nobody has been held accountable, but we must continue to work in whatever way we can to try to change that.

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing interest in the development of the local partnerships. The Government's community safety plan is about people being safe and feeling safe in their own communities, and both of those are equally important. At the heart of this policy is the principle that every community has the right to be safe and to feel safe in order for individuals and communities to thrive and flourish.

Our approach to community safety at its heart recognises that it has to be a whole-of-government, whole-of-community, shared approach such that it does not just involve members of An Garda Síochána, notwithstanding the important and significant role it plays in keeping people safe, but also is a collaboration between An Garda Síochána, members of the community, local representatives and elected representatives as well as the various agencies, from education to health, social welfare and housing.

The local partnerships are provided for in Part 3 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, which was signed into law just last February by the President. It is my intention that the partnerships will be rolled out across Ireland later this year.

They will operate at local authority level and will replace the joint policing committees. Each partnership will develop its own community safety plan; talk to local communities about their safety concerns before the plan is developed and throughout it; drive community safety programmes responsive to local needs so every plan will be specific to its area and what those local needs are; and foster opportunities for community participation in community safety activities.

The partnerships will also have wider memberships than the JPCs, and that is the significant difference between the two.

They will include residents, local councillors and community representatives, including representatives of younger people, older people and, importantly, new minority communities, as well as business and education representatives and a range of public services, including the HSE, Tusla, An Garda Síochána and the local authority.

As the Deputy knows, pilot partnerships have been running in Longford, Waterford and Dublin's inner city, and each of these three areas has developed and published its own community safety plan. They are all available on the local authority websites for people to look at. They set out agreed actions to be undertaken by the members of the partnerships, all with the objective of enhancing community safety. Each newly established local community safety partnership will be required to develop and implement its own tailored community safety plan and will take a strategic approach to its work so issues arising can be dealt with in a co-ordinated manner, addressed collectively by relevant service providers in partnership with the community.

I thank the Minister for her response and congratulate her on this work, which is very important. That she has got the Garda Reserve recruitment campaign up and running is a very positive move. She stated she hopes to have the community partnerships up and running across the State later this year. Are we talking about the autumn?

Has the Minister considered the situation in my county, Cork, where the distance from Castletownbere to Youghal is quite long? If there is but one community partnership in the county, it is not the same as having one in a small county such as Leitrim or Louth, or even Dublin. Has she considered giving larger counties more than one community partnership because of their geographical size - in other words, one per municipal district. Cork already has three different local authority areas. If there were one partnership in each local authority area, it could work. I am sure there are other large counties that have a similar challenge.

A number of measures had to be taken before the partnerships could be established, accounting for how the current three pilots have operated. I am establishing a national office for community safety, which will have the overarching objective of managing and, above all, supporting and delivering the objectives of the national strategy. There will be training, guidance and other supports for the local community safety partnerships. The partnerships themselves will have dedicated staff and teams that they can work with. The appointment of staff and processes are already in train.

Separately, an expression-of-interest process will be undertaken by each local authority to identify a suitable chairperson. I requested that councillors who wanted to apply to be chair not start the process until after the local elections to give people time to know who is elected. That process will start immediately. As local authorities and councillors start to populate the various committees, this will then apply in the same way here. My objective is to have a community partnership per local authority area. Beyond that, there can be what will be known as fora or more regionalised community partnerships, perhaps operating on a smaller but more focused basis, feeding into the larger partnerships. Considering the Deputy's point that there are some areas that are much larger and have a more widespread population, one partnership per county will not work or fit, and that is why I have made my decision.

I thank the Minister for her response with respect to the size of counties and the idea of fora. At one stage, I was involved in five different joint policing communities and noted that local knowledge is very valuable. A lot of the work is at the level of bringing to the attention of the local authority that a streetlight is not working, for example. I am referring to low-level crime and low-level annoyance.

Could the Minister let us know the budget for the whole initiative nationally? Is there a budget set aside for it? The Minister mentioned a secretariat, the employment of people and so on. Could she outline the structure? Is there a national oversight group or body? Who do the partnerships report to?

Each partnership will be supported by a dedicated community safety co-ordinator, at administrative officer grade VII, and an administrator, at assistant staff officer grade IV. Both of these will be full-time positions. The individuals will be recruited through the local authority and they will provide the support. They will be full-time staff working on the ground in the office, wherever that is identified to be. There will also be a national office that will help with training and the implementation of the various strategies. Off the top of my head, I believe about €3 million-plus was allocated initially. I am referring to the money required this year to have the office up and running and the support staff. Probably at this stage, half of the year is catered for. Obviously, as we work towards the budget, funding that is required will be put in place for next year as well.

On the Deputy's point, the work of the joint policing committees has been really important. I see this in my county, particularly where there is a model that is more open to the community. In County Meath, every odd JPC was open to the community, and issues were raised about very specific areas on which the Garda could follow through. We do not want to lose that aspect but we must also acknowledge that it is not just the Garda that plays a role in community safety. The fora themselves might present an opportunity for more localised engagement with gardaí while not detracting from the work of the partnership.

What are the Minister's plans to deal with the scourge of drugs and drug dealing? Could she make a statement on the matter? An all-of-government response is required but it is not an overplay to say this is a huge issue that is having an impact right across society. It is particularly difficult where it results in drug deaths and intimidation, particularly in working-class areas.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He has done so consistently, particularly in his own area. He has also raised the need for us all to do more and actively deal with the threat posed to our communities, particularly young people, by organised crime groups and those who are buying, dealing and engaging with drug dealers.

The Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that the Garda has the resources it needs to tackle drug dealing and associated criminal behaviour, including by organised crime groups. The funding made available to An Garda Síochána has enabled the Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime. These include the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the armed support unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau.

The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau leads in tackling all forms of drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs in Ireland. Collaboration at interagency and international levels remains key in tackling this issue. This problem is not just within our own borders; it is also transnational. Given the global nature of the drugs trade, international law enforcement co-operation remains a key element in the overall response. An Garda Síochána has strong and very strategic partnerships in place at international level targeting drug trafficking, including working closely with agencies such as Interpol and Europol and participating in the Maritime Analysis Operations Centre for Narcotics, which is based in Lisbon.

An example of the result of co-operation with the team in Lisbon and others was the seizure of 546 kg of a synthetic drug, with an estimated value of €32.8 million, by the Garda, working with Revenue officers, in Cork port in February. There was extensive engagement with international partners.

At a local level, An Garda Síochána continues to target those involved in the sale and supply of illegal drugs through Operation Tara. Recent successes of Operation Tara in my area and that of the Deputy include the seizure of cannabis plants and cannabis herb with an estimated value of €768,000 across two separate raids in County Louth only recently, on 20 May.

I am investing record amounts into An Garda Síochána to target those involved in the sale and supply of illegal drugs through Operation Tara, and of course we will do more.

It goes without saying that I doubt that anyone is going to stand up here and not support what have been some of the major seizures and operations against organised crime. Whether these operations are local or transnational, we want to see more – quicker, better and faster. There is nobody who does not want to see this. The problem, however, is the huge drugs problem that exists. I get that it would be a lot easier if, on the average Friday or Saturday night, so many people were not willing to buy cocaine. Part of the issue is that a large number of people have accepted the taking of drugs and seem to be at a remove from recognising its impact in the form of giving money to the worst elements of society, who then visit absolute disaster upon communities.

I get that we need to ensure we have addiction services but we really need to get the policing part right while we consider something more novel. Obviously, we have had the citizens' assembly and its outworkings.

I agree. To reduce supply, we need to ensure we are working on an international basis and stopping the large shipments. What is clear is that the drugs seized are the tip of the iceberg, but obviously the more work the Garda can do, the more we will be seen as a country into which it is not easy to bring this level of drugs.

There is work that can be done on a lower level by An Garda Síochána. I am referring to the work across the Criminal Assets Bureau. I will be tabling amendments to make it easier for gardaí to seize. Looking at the lower level, we have a situation now where citizens can actively engage with the Criminal Assets Bureau. Representatives in local Garda stations are also actively working on the ground to spot the signs of more low-level activity by a dealer who is involved in the community. Linked very closely to that is the involvement of young people in drug running, debt and intimidation. That is why the legislation to criminalise the grooming of children, which was passed only recently, is so important. To that date, we had not actually recognised the impact it was having on children, as well as the crimes that had been committed.

It is important when we speak about different ways in which we can do things that we mention the Greentown project, which looks at young people, their families, the situations they are in and how we can break the links to get young people out of those situations so that the cycle is broken. That is working really well, and we have extended it because of that, but we want to see more of those types of programmes.

The Minister has dealt with my first two points. Obviously, we need to see greater use of the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB. Locally, I have seen how it does fabulous work. It also means communities can see that action is being taken and we also need to see policing operations. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a large number of street drug dealers, and there is also the fact that the courts can be backlogged. This means it can be a considerable amount of time before somebody is actually processed and that lesson has not been learned fast enough. We need to do everything we can regarding the Greentown project to remove people from criminality. We also know there is a huge number of chaotic families and, at times, useful idiots, who can be used by predatory drug dealers. We need to give greater powers to councils. We need to make sure Tusla and everyone else is involved in the actions that can be taken. There is a major issue with dangerous organised criminals. Huge issues are also caused by chaotic people who get caught up in this and who cause serious harm to their communities. I have spoken before about how we need to support the likes of the Family Addiction Support Network and others in Dundalk, which are doing great work.

I strongly agree with the sentiments that were expressed by the Minister and the last speaker. I congratulate An Garda Síochána for its successes in this area. However, for every success, there is growing evidence of an extension of the drugs empire all over the place. It is the drugs empire that is feeding its own market in a way that ensures it has a steady income from that area. It has established fear among the community and the school children. Almost all second-level schools are affected by this problem now, as are some primary schools. I congratulate An Garda Síochána on its work to date, but I believe that a new initiative is required and that should involve a rapid follow-up when evidence comes in that somebody is using an area, house or locality as a drug promotional centre.

The most important thing is that people know that crime does not pay, whether you are a drug dealer or involved in any type of crime. That is why the work of CAB is so important. Some of my changes will make it easier and quicker for CAB to confiscate, identify and disburse the proceeds of the crime it has confiscated. It will also help to prevent criminals from frustrating the system, which they so often do.

The community safety innovation fund is now taking money that has been directly seized from criminals and is putting it back into communities. Some of the programmes we see - this relates to the points of both Deputies Ó Murchú and Durkan - look at new and innovative ways through which we can support people within communities, for example, in the areas of addiction, young people, and through providing alternatives or different options. I can see that through some of the programmes and projects that have already been delivered and developed through the community safety innovation fund.

One specific focus of the Greentown project is to look at families of young people who may be targeted because they do not and cannot get the supports from the families, because they cannot do that themselves. It is a matter of how we take them out of that situation and support the families, as well as the people who are being dragged into a life of crime. There are so many different layers to it. We need to invest in all of those layers and it is something to which we are all committed. Certainly, An Garda Síochána is committed to playing its part as well.

First, I assure the Deputy, as he has probably heard, that tackling serious and organised crime is a priority for me and An Garda Síochána. I am committed to ensuring that communities right across the country have the resources and supports that they need, and most importantly people are safe and feel safe.

While it is welcome that serious attacks involving firearms have fallen substantially over the last number of years, as have serious types of incidents, I am acutely aware of certain incidents that have happened in recent times and the devastating impact of such incidents on the entire community. The implications they can have are far-reaching and I am determined to address these matters. A number of measures have been taken in particular to tackle organised crime. These include increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from ten years to life in prison. This relates to those who do not pull the trigger but who make the decision at the very top and who so often evade any form of justice. They are being taken into that space.

There are new laws to criminalise the grooming of children. As I have just mentioned, this is so we can identify and acknowledge the harm that is caused to young people when they are brought into a life of crime. We are rolling out support programmes to break the link between gangs and the children they try to recruit, and the Greentown project is an example. We are introducing facial recognition technology to help investigate and prosecute cases of serious crime. Again, we are strengthening CAB’s ability to target the proceeds of crime, to speed up the process and to stop criminals from delaying the process.

I fully recognise the need to support and strengthen our communities to address the root cause of violence and I think that is where Deputy Paul Donnelly is coming from with the type of report he is proposing. We are now trying to move away from having individual reports for areas, because the community partnerships will now take over that role. So much of the work that was done by the Drogheda Implementation Board, Cherry Orchard report, and the Mulvey report looks at what the community needs as a whole, and not just at the work of An Garda Síochána. The plans that have been developed from those various different reviews or groups are very much in line with what the partnerships are and what they will be. The community's safety plan is designed to address public safety issues, bringing together the relevant agencies and An Garda Síochána working with local authorities, local representatives, young people, communities and all the partnerships to make sure that a specific time can be put in place.

Specifically in the Deputy’s own area of Dublin 15, community partnerships will be rolled out. They will be in line with and parallel to the three youth diversion projects that are already working across this area. There is approximately €900,000 in funding from my Department under the youth justice strategy. It is really important that they are coherent and that they work in collaboration with each other to try to address the root cause of some of the challenges that are being faced.

I could not agree more with the Minister about what needs to be done in the long term in relation to this. Yet, unfortunately, at the moment, they do not have the resources. That covers every aspect of community activity. I have lived in Dublin 15 for the past 30 years and I have seen criminal gangs come and go. Unfortunately, we are in another age and era where there is a cycle of brutal violence going on in Dublin 15. We saw it at Christmas when there was a double murder on Christmas Eve, when people were sitting down to enjoy a Christmas Eve meal. Since then, more than a dozen houses have been burned, and were burned to the ground in some cases. Other people have been forced to leave because of threats and intimidation. That is continuing and ongoing to this day. Many of the attacks are being carried out by very young teenagers. They have been groomed over the past couple of years by this criminal gang. We need to break the cycle, but we need to have that proper investment in our communities. We need early intervention and we need youth and drug services to be properly resourced. I will give the example of Genesis counselling service. I think it was last year that I asked for extra resources for it. It cannot deal with the number of people who are looking for those resources. We need that support, but we need it now. We cannot wait for the partnerships. We need it now.

I thank the Deputy. It is important to say that work is ongoing but I appreciate that more needs to be done. If you look at the activity of An Garda Síochána - obviously there is a limited amount of information that can be provided - so far this year, between January and May, drugs valued in excess of €12 million were seized in that region. There were 106 seizures of firearms and ammunition. That is a high number, so it is in itself quite frightening that number of seizures has taken place. Yet, it shows that An Garda Síochána is active, engaged, on the ground and trying to do what it can. As I have outlined, funding has been provided for three different youth diversion projects.

The Minister of State has been developing, progressing, expanding and securing significant additional funding for the youth diversion programmes to make sure we do not just have them in every area but the areas that need more targeted intervention, in particular focusing on younger people. Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more younger people getting involved in crime and this type of, one cannot even call it, antisocial behaviour; it is criminal activity. We need to make sure we get to the root cause, which is where the partnership will be important. In the interim, I will do everything I can to get more gardaí into every area possible. I have no doubt, with the challenges the Deputy raised, that come the next Templemore graduation, there will be more gardaí in the area.

I appreciate the Minister's answer but we need those gardaí now. I met the superintendent recently and we had good discussions. I am hopeful that in the future there will be a refocus on community gardaí and getting gardaí back on the ground talking to young people, engaging with communities and residents' associations, which we have not had for a good number of years. We had a brilliant community policing section that was decimated during the austerity years. We have some fantastic gardaí. I will mention one garda, Rory Carey, who is a fantastic community garda sergeant doing his absolute best but they are under serious pressure. They do not have the resources to do what they want. I am hopeful for the new influx from Templemore but, unfortunately, as a community in Dublin 15 now, we are under serious pressure from these people. First, we need that influx of gardaí now to deal with what is happening on the ground. We need early intervention and all of those resources to deal with the future. A two-pronged approach is needed - community safety as we speak, and dealing with it into the future so that we do not have to deal with this constantly.

I too commend the gardaí in the Deputy's area. I met them and appreciate, like in a lot of areas, that they are under pressure. They are doing everything they can in the interim, as we focus on getting more gardaí. There has been significant investment in resources to support gardaí in their work, whether that is more vehicles, more technology or ways to reduce the workload for gardaí working there. That is an absolute priority for me. To the Deputy's point, it is about making sure we use the resources we have now to deal with problems but to also look beyond that at how we can tackle the root causes and invest in the community. I have to go back to the partnership, which is why this is so important. It is not just about the crime element; it is about looking at the resources, educational facilities and provisions for young people, and what is there other than getting into a life of crime for them and how the community itself can put that plan in place based on what it needs. The Deputy may not have heard my intervention with Deputy Stanton earlier. I hope these partnerships will be up and running just beyond the summer. The sooner they are up and running, the quicker our plan for the Deputy's area can be put in place.

Will the Minister comment on figures for unpaid court-imposed fines and the efforts to collect those fines? I understand from different people that there are people who wish they would go away or make efforts to delay them and do not pay them in the possibility that they would be written off. I wish to get an understanding from the Minister on the numbers and the efforts to collect those funds.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue around the amount of unpaid court-imposed fines in 2023. It is important to note that the principal penalty applied under the Road Traffic Act is a Garda fixed charge notice, FCN, combined with the imposition of penalty points. These measures provide an effective and appropriate enforcement response aimed at encouraging responsible driver behaviour without the need for court intervention or court-imposed fines in most instances. Since 2019, more than 550,000 fixed charge notices have been issued for non-intercept speeding offences, with a very a high level of public compliance. Approximately 80% of FCNs were paid on time without recourse to the courts. Under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions including the provision of information on the courts system. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had inquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that a total of 43,118 fines with a value of €15.2 million are currently due. I understand that 28,474 of these relate to road traffic offences, with a total value of just over €8 million. I am advised that this is the overall figure for fines due. It is not possible to provide the number of these that are unpaid. The Deputy may be aware that the Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014 was introduced to provide for alternative orders to imprisonment in the event that a court-imposed fine is not paid. The Act was designed to help address the high level of short-term prison sentences for the non-payment of court-imposed fines. In 2015, prior to commencement of the Act, there were 9,883 committals to prison for non-payment of fines. By 2022, this had fallen to only 205, a reduction of 98%. I am satisfied that in terms of reducing committal rates, the 2014 Act has achieved that objective. That said, the fine collection system provided for in the 2014 Act has proven cumbersome to operate and a review has been undertaken by a high-level group chaired by the Department. Its recommendations are now being considered by the Department with a view to bringing forward proposals to streamline the system.

I thank the Minister of State. This issue has been raised with me by a number of people, including representatives of disability groups and mothers with buggies who find, for example, a car parked, blocking the path or blocking a disabled parking space. This is pretty much sticking the finger up to the public. People will take whatever space they want. Even if a ticket is issued, the feeling is that the same person will stick it up to the judicial system afterwards and refuse to pay. I am shocked that there is more than €8 million sitting there that has not been collected in those fines. It is a big deal for a fine to get as far as being court-imposed because, as the Minister of State said, there is a great deal of compliance. Most people, when they get a ticket, they pay it. What efforts are being made to ensure those funds are collected and the penalty is imposed? Are there attachments to people's earnings? Is there community service or some clear effort to collect those funds?

The outstanding amount was the amount at the time the figure was obtained. In that, there are people who were fined recently, with an expectation that they will pay. Fines are generally imposed in the District Court for minor offences. However, a small number of fines are also imposed in the higher courts. Once imposed, the Courts Service starts a process of communicating with the person to recover the fine. This process has a number of stages, which are followed to give the person every opportunity to pay that fine. The Courts Service issues a number of communications to the person concerned to try to recover the sum owed and avoid the matter progressing. Such communications include the initial fines notice, a reminder, and, where necessary, an instalment reminder and a warning notice. The Deputy may be aware that the Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014 came into force on 11 January 2016. It provides for alternative orders to imprisonment, as outlined. If, at an enforcement hearing, the court is not satisfied with matters relating to these alternative orders, it is open to the judge to discharge the fine by way of an imprisonment order. It is intended that this be used as a measure of last resort. The courts have that backup, where someone does not pay the fine, to send them to prison.

The idea of somebody going to prison is a last option. We would want to make every effort to ensure that does not arise. If there are penalty fines, efforts should be made to collect those funds and impose the penalty. Going back and forth in the courts must take up a lot of time and effort for the Courts Service, clogging up other cases it wants to deal with. Is there any indication of how often they go around and the amount of time lost to that? Are fines written off after some time? Are those trying to stave it off successful? How much was written off? Is there a figure for last year or the year before? How much of these fines were written off?

I acknowledged in my initial reply that the current process is cumbersome and takes up considerable court time. A review is being carried out as to how that can be streamlined to ensure that the process is much more straightforward and to reduce the opportunities for kicking the can down the road. We want to ensure people pay these fines and are not wasting court time. I am very much in agreement with the Deputy that we need to have a more streamlined process so that people cannot evade their responsibilities and that is what we are we are working on at the moment. As somebody whose sister is in a wheelchair, I understand only too well the consequences of illegal parking and blocking footpaths that he mentioned. It is often the same people who do this again and again. I assure him that the matter is being taken very seriously by the Minister, Deputy McEntee.

This question seeks to focus on the manner in which criminal gangs associated with drug racketeering manage to work their way into new estates, of which there are many in the eastern region. All that is required is to bypass the vetting system, get in there, get a distributor in there and very soon the whole area is polluted with the nuisance.

I assure the Deputy of my commitment and that of the Garda to dealing with all forms of drug dealing, be it individuals in the estates he mentioned or the larger organised crime groups. Of course, to deal with this on a national level, the Garda needs to make sure it does what it can, working with international partners. It also needs the resources to try and stop these loads coming into the country.

This is reflected in the unprecedented of €2.35 billion provided to the Garda, an increase of about 23% in the past three years. This allows additional assigned resources to be allocated to An Garda Síochána in the specialised units involved in tackling drug dealing and overall organised crime groups. We have the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the armed support unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB. As I mentioned earlier, the bureau has done fantastic work since its inception. The number of assets it has seized and the money it has seized over the years have continued to increase. The changes that I propose to make will ensure that it can access those assets quicker but also that criminals cannot frustrate its work and prevent that from happening.

I am also undertaking a significant number of actions to make sure that we have the gardaí we need to be able to respond to all types of crime, including this issue. I am increasing the retirement age of Garda members from 60 to 62. People can now join at 50 whereas before it was 35. We have increased the training allowance to support those coming into the college. We are also investing in tools, technology and equipment. Every year the Garda now has a budget of approximately €100 million to invest in the technology, vehicles and equipment it needs. A new helicopter will also be bought to make sure it can undertake all of this work, working closely with Interpol and Europol to tackle drug trafficking on a more localised level. When I come back in, I might have time to outline some of the work that has been done in the communities to try to prevent younger people, in particular, from getting dragged into this.

I thank the Minister for her reply. I am drawing attention to the fact that vetting is supposed to take place in local authority housing estates and approved housing bodies. That does not seem to be effective because all that seems to happen is that people get through the system with impunity and as the result of that, they set up a whole network. Very soon the whole estate and surrounding estates are then polluted with the same problem. Parents are showing increased levels of concern and have been intimidated themselves. Some people have had to move out of their houses and sell their homes. Others have been victims of shooting and burning of houses, as mentioned by my colleagues across the floor. That is going on at the present time, despite the best efforts of An Garda Síochána and its successes in dealing with the problem on a national level. An atmosphere of fear is developing and I am asking that we focus on that in this particular instance.

A form of vetting takes place where people are being placed in particular types of local authority housing. Beyond that, anybody can move into an area and this problem can arise. It is really important that the Garda is alerted to any issues that arise within the community. If people within the community have suspicions or indeed have evidence to show that drug dealing is taking place and that particular communities are being subjected to the types of abuse and attacks that the Deputy mentioned, it is important that the Garda be made aware of this. It is then about making sure that particular communities that might be impacted more than others get the support and the resources so that the young people are protected in whatever way they can be. That can be through youth intervention or the youth diversion programmes that have been rolled out by my colleague the Minister of State. We need to make sure that the Garda and local schools have the resources they need.

In any instance where an individual or people within a house or a community are carrying out these types of acts, it is the role of the Garda to make sure that people are held accountable. I appreciate that people are sometimes concerned about coming forward, but if the Garda does not have evidence or information, it is very hard for it to take prosecutions.

In her reply, the Minister has described exactly the kind of thing that is happening. It is not just restricted to local authority estates. When a complaint is made by a resident, the response from the housing body, for instance, is not always great. Let us not forget that criminal gangs and the criminal world have sufficient resources at their disposal to buy a house or an apartment anywhere. On one recent occasion the complainant seemed to be blamed for causing a nuisance. Of course, the nuisance was that the housing body in question had to deal with it or was expected to deal with it. In those circumstances it is high-handed of it to suggest that the complainant is the problem because obviously if the complainant is taken from the estate, it will be a free-for-all, which is what happens in many cases. I ask for a particular initiative to be taken to deal with that.

I would like to follow up on what Deputy Durkan has spoken about. Obviously, drug dealing happens from privately rented and privately owned houses, and houses that are owned by approved housing bodies. There is a particular issue with local authority housing owing to the lack of power the council may have to deal with this. Every two-bit drug dealer has seen "The Wire". They are not as stupid as we might think them to be. They can keep operating for much longer. At times they would have less pressure on them if they had a greater level of discretion. Sometimes they like to do it in the face of the community surrounding them. I have dealt with multiple issues like this. We need to review how we deal with these circumstances and how we assess the dangers for people. There are particular issues where families have a considerable number of children, which makes it more difficult. The only time that I have seen people evicted is when it is a single person who is caught red-handed selling drugs in the house. It is an issue we need to look at.

I say this from experience. In our own constituencies, we have all come across situations of families with children involved and there are different scenarios. It is therefore not as straightforward as moving people out of communities. However, where somebody is creating that level of fear and intimidation within an estate or a community, it is really important that the Garda responds and acts, as I believe it does. At the same time, it needs to have the evidence and the support to be able to move forward with prosecutions. Often, it is a prosecution that is needed to move somebody on, or even to take an individual out of the situation where a family and younger children might need to be protected.

Deputy Durkan mentioned people buying properties and unexplained wealth. Obviously, that is the role of CAB. It is important for local gardaí to have sight of what is going on and of who is in what community. People in the community can anonymously reach out to CAB and the Garda the if they feel that somebody in the area has unexplained wealth and has been able to buy property without any sign of how that might have been possible. There are layers to this, but it comes back to investing in communities, investing in resources and supporting communities so they feel that they can come forward and that there will be outcomes at the end.

I would like to see more gardaí in Cork, as I would like to see more gardaí across the country. I want to see the numbers we have increase regardless of what the overall figure is now.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the deployment of personnel. Having said that, the unprecedented allocation of more than €2 billion for 2023 and €2.35 billion for 2024 to An Garda Síochána demonstrates the Government's commitment to ensuring there is provision for the necessary equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel to be provided in all communities. I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review.

The Deputy may be interested to know that crimes such as burglary, public order offences and drugs offences have all decreased across the county when 2023 is compared with 2019. I am informed by the Garda authorities that at the end of April 2024, the latest date for which figures are available, a total of 1,275 Garda members were assigned to Cork. Of this total, 670 Garda members were assigned to the Cork city division, 324 to Cork north division and 281 to Cork west division. This is compared to figures at the end of May 2023, when a total of 1,313 Garda members were assigned to Cork. Of this total, 705 Garda members were assigned to Cork city division, 323 to Cork north division, and 285 to Cork west division. Obviously, there has been a larger decrease in the numbers in the Cork city division, but as more new members come through Templemore and are assigned across the country I can assume and will expect to see those numbers increase again, as is the case in other counties. I am advised by the Garda authorities that just over 200 Garda staff are working alongside Garda members in Cork, a total which has doubled since 2015. Garda staff carry out vital roles to increase the availability of gardaí to focus on front-line duties to free up those gardaí currently undertaking desk-based duties. The significant increase in Garda staff across the country in recent years has enabled 900 gardaí overall to be freed up for front-line duties.

I am committed to pursuing all opportunities to civilianise even further the administrative functions within An Garda Síochána to release Garda members to take on front-line duties. This week, responsibility for first-time registrations and renewals of Irish immigration residence permission for non-EU, EEA, UK and Swiss nationals residing in counties Cork and Limerick transferred from An Garda Síochána to my Department.

When the Minister opened by stating her view that she would like to see more gardaí, I felt it was going to be a case of, "O God, the numbers are going down", and she then confirmed that. The number of gardaí in the city has gone down from 705 to 670 and the county divisions have lost gardaí as well. We see this impact on the ground and it is a great source of concern for many people. The new policing model is in place in Cork county at this stage, which has resulted in a very large area being policed right across the county, and even including parts of County Kerry. It is a very diverse area, with rural and urban parts and a coastal area known for drug trafficking. It is greatly important that there would be adequate policing. The Minister also gave an indication of some crime figures going downwards but she did not quote public order figures. I am interested to know more about this. What efforts are being made to ensure that existing vacant posts are being filled?

We find ourselves in a position across the country where we have approximately 1,000 fewer gardaí than we should have. This is because the impact of Covid-19 meant no new recruits went into the college in Templemore for two years. We had gathered momentum in the recruitment campaigns at that stage and they had been producing significant numbers of new members. We are only back to those numbers now because it has taken time to do so through various campaigns. Work has been done to encourage more people to apply and to retain the gardaí we have because throughout those two years while no new recruits were coming in, we naturally still had retirements and people leaving. We are at full employment, so while we do have people leaving the Garda, the rate at which this is happening is still below the rates found in police forces in other jurisdictions.

In saying that, the more gardaí we can get passing through Templemore, the more Cork will benefit, the more my county will benefit, the more Dublin will benefit and the more everybody will benefit. In the interim though, it is about ensuring the gardaí we have on the force, who are doing excellent work, have the resources they need and are supported by civilian staff. Separate from the recruitment campaigns for training places in Templemore, recruitment campaigns are also under way for new Garda staff. We have also opened the new campaign for the Garda Reserve because we know how effective its members can be, particularly when we are looking at community policing and assisting gardaí out on the beat engaging with particular types of crimes or even antisocial behaviour. The members of the Garda Reserve are very effective in these types of situations. This campaign is under way and I encourage people to participate in it.

Given that the numbers of gardaí in Cork have reduced, what efforts will be made to ensure there will be an increase in the numbers in Cork to fill these vacant posts and police the area adequately? We have seen that there are recruitment campaigns and that trainee gardaí are going through the process. Yet, in some of those campaigns, we have seen that the Commissioner has directed people to the north east, Dublin and various other locations where it was felt there was greater need. This left posts unfilled in places like Cork. For example, it took several years to replace a sergeant in Baile Bhuirne. There is currently a vacancy in Tír Eiltín, where there is a great demand that the garda be replaced and the community not be left exposed. What efforts are being made to fill these vacant posts I have mentioned and others across County Cork?

Competitions are run on an ongoing basis. Panels are developed and then positions are filled. Where new Garda members go or where serving members are redirected must be a matter for the Garda Commissioner. My job is to ensure the Garda and its members have the resources they need, the support they need and, as far as I can ensure it, that more people are going through Templemore to train to become gardaí and more civilian staff are being taken on. As I said, we have had our recruitment campaign for the Garda Reserve taking place this month, which is the first for approximately seven years. I am, therefore, doing what I can to ensure we have a steady stream of new gardaí coming through. Beyond that, the Commissioner must look at where resources are needed. He has a finite number to work with. Every time we have new recruits, therefore, and, thankfully, we will have more recruits coming out in the next few weeks, he will have to look at where pressures exist and resources are needed, while at the same time ensuring everybody gets their fair share. It will have been seen that the Garda members passing out from the latest graduation were more dispersed across the country than had been the case previously. I have no doubt that as the numbers continue to increase Cork will get its fair share. Recruitment competitions are ongoing as well, so I have no doubt that those vacant posts will be filled shortly as well.

This question concerns a model of community court approach operating in the US and the UK, especially in midtown New York and Red Hook. When I was the chair of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, we did a lot of work on this issue. It proved to be very effective in dealing with low-level crimes, including misdemeanours, shoplifting and so on. It also had the backup of sociologists and psychologists to help people be diverted away from crime. Has the Department examined this approach in more detail recently?

The US model of community courts received consideration within the Department some years ago and the concept has some similarities with the drug court which has operated in the Dublin District Court since 2001. Several jurisdictions have developed what are sometimes referred to as "problem-solving" courts. Models include community courts, drug courts and restorative programmes. These courts can vary in character, but they generally incorporate a combination of sanction for the crime, assistance in rehabilitation and reparation to either the victim or the community in which the offence took place. They combine punishment with help, such as drug treatment or mental health counselling. To address the issue of reoffending, the Prison Service, the Probation Service and my Department are focused on maximising opportunities for diversion and rehabilitation to reduce reoffending and help people to reintegrate on release from custody supervised.

In 2022, I published a review of policy options for prison and penal reform, which is being implemented and includes increasing the use of alternatives to custodial sanctions where appropriate. The Deputy will also be aware of the important work of the Probation Service in supervising people referred directly to it by the courts and those participating in an incentivised early release scheme. The Probation Service dealt with 16,989 offenders in the community in 2023.

Additional funding has been allocated to the Probation Service to expand the joint agency response to crime, JARC, programme, which the Deputy will be aware of from his time in the Department. That programme has been found to be highly effective in steering people away from criminality and reducing reoffending. The intention is to embed the JARC approach as “business as usual” standard practice between the Probation Service and An Garda Síochána by the end of this year.

The recommendations of the high-level task force on mental health are being progressed in conjunction with the Department of Health with a view to better supporting people to address the underlying causes of their offending behaviour, including through diversion and appropriate community supports. The judicial planning working group recommended a range of measures to ensure the more efficient use of judicial resources and the appointment of additional judges to address backlogs and reduce waiting times. The studies committee, established by the Judicial Council, has devised and delivered training to avoid retraumatisation. The focus of this training is to give judges a deeper understanding of people's experiences and to explore ways in which this can be addressed.