Navan Garda station conditions
Deputy Cassells raised poor working conditions for gardaí in Navan and the need for better county facilities. The Minister of State said a new divisional headquarters was needed, sites were being assessed, and an announcement was expected soon.
The report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland was published yesterday and, along with the appointment of a new Garda Commissioner, we hope that it will herald a new dawn for policing in Ireland. However, the Garda needs resources, as the Minister well knows, and gardaí are still forced to work in substandard conditions, nowhere more so than in County Meath. The hovel in which more than 100 gardaí in Navan are expected to work, which the Minister of State, Deputy English, knows as well, is highlighted on the front page of the Meath Chronicle this morning by none other than Superintendent Mick Devine who makes reference to "medieval working conditions". Both he and Chief Superintendent Fergus Healy are prepared to go public and call this out. I support them and I have pointed out that criminals held in the multimillion euro Garda station in Wexford have better conditions than gardaí across all the stations in County Meath. Will the Minister back the call of Chief Superintendent Fergus Healy, Superintendent Mick Devine and all of the Garda management in County Meath for a new divisional headquarters for the county?
In a previous response to me, the Minister for Justice and Equality said there is a divisional headquarters in County Meath. The Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, and Minister of State, Deputy English, both know there is none. How, when the chief superintendent says we need a divisional headquarters in Meath, can the Minister for Justice and Equality say we have one?
Comment on this
I think Deputy Cassells and I might be at cross-purposes.
Comment on this
It is easy for me to back the calls made by both Fergus Healy and Mick Devine because we need a new divisional headquarters in County Meath. We do actually have one but it is nowhere close to being up to scratch for what is expected for the delivery of An Garda Síochána services. The Deputy is aware that a number of sites are being evaluated. A substantial amount of money will need to be allocated to develop those sites or redevelop others. I expect an announcement to be made in the near future. We are all well aware of what we need to give An Garda Síochána in County Meath to enable it to do an effective job.