I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan.

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. It is great to have somebody from my area to respond to it because he knows exactly what I am talking about.

The reason I raise this Commencement matter is the level of fear among people in rural Ireland about crime.

I acknowledge the work done by the Minister, her Department and the Garda in an effort to combat rural crime. In particular, I acknowledge the provision of €5.3 million for a further 260 Garda vehicles and the €60 million Garda building and refurbishment programme that has been put in place. I also acknowledge the reopening of the Garda Training College in Templemore, the 550 new gardaí who will graduate this year and the 600 who will graduate next year. That is all great and shows that the Minister, her Department and the Garda are serious about tackling crime. However, coming from a rural area in County Kerry, as do I, the Minister of State will be aware of the fear in people's hearts. It is not so much crime but the fear of crime that is getting to people. I have to hand some figures from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, from 2014. As they are somewhat older, I am aware the levels probably have reduced since 2014. These figures show 420 crimes per month were reported on farms nationwide for the first six months of 2014. Within that figure, there were 1,720 cases of farm machinery theft reported, as well as 218 vehicle thefts, 280 cases of non-aggravated burglaries, 261 thefts of diesel, 48 thefts of livestock, six thefts from persons and one case of aggravated burglary. While these are figures affecting the farming community, it does not stop there but moves throughout the community.

In the past, a grant was forthcoming from the Department of Social Protection for security locks, panic alarms and help for security for the elderly. However, the reason I have brought forward this matter is that while some people can afford to install electronic gates and security alarms, many people cannot do so and no price can be put on a person's peace of mind. Only last Monday evening, I met a man who told me he was six months from the age of 70 years and that he took a shotgun to bed with him. The Minister of State should note this is an example from County Kerry. The man in question takes the shotgun to bed with him every night but nobody should be obliged to live like that or to be obliged to live in fear that he or she will be broken into or that something will happen. If people had security alarms in place, it would give them a little peace of mind. They will not stop burglaries, because these criminals are well able to deal with burglar alarms and security alarms, but at least it might deter them. Moreover, it would give people living in houses some peace to know the alarm was in place and would go off if someone tried to enter the property and would link up with the Garda station.

I acknowledge the reason and logic behind the closure of Garda stations, but as the Minister of State is aware, the actual presence of a Garda station with a garda meant a great deal to people living in rural Ireland. When that has been taken away, they believe something has been taken from them, despite the possibility that a Garda patrol vehicle may be patrolling the area. Nevertheless, they consider that the presence of a Garda station and the presence of a garda during the day, for however long it may be, is a deterrent to burglars. The possibility of some form of grant aid towards the cost of installing security alarms people should be considered. It could be means-tested and restricted to those with an annual income of less than €45,000 or €50,000 perhaps. It would be of help and while I acknowledge not everybody still would be able to afford it, it would go some way towards helping people.

I am speaking on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality who regrets that she cannot be present owing to other official commitments. She is grateful to the Senator for raising this important matter in the Seanad. She has asked me to state she is highly conscious of the distress which burglary and similar crime can cause to householders, as well as the broader impact the fear of crime can have in communities. In this regard, she is very much in sympathy with the Senator's intention of supporting law-abiding householders.

Earlier this year the Minister initiated a broad and urgent review of the approach to burglary crime. An important fact arising from the Minister's review was that a large proportion of domestic burglaries were committed by a particular cohort of serial offenders. The clear view which emerged was that a new strategy to counteract these criminals should focus on two key objectives, namely, strengthening the law to get tougher on serial and repeat offenders and investing in the capacity of An Garda Síochána to enforce that law effectively. The Minister is now implementing this strategy and has introduced the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill which is aimed at those repeat burglars who have previous convictions and are charged with multiple offences of residential burglary. The new Bill will require the District Court to provide for consecutive jail sentences where a burglar is being sentenced for multiple offences and will allow courts to refuse ball for offenders who have a previous conviction for domestic burglary coupled with two or more pending charges. The Bill which is expected to be enacted in the next few weeks will go a long way towards giving the courts the power to ensure repeat burglars are kept off the streets.

Of course, legislation on its own is not enough and the Minister is in ongoing contact with the Commissioner to ensure the available Garda resources are used as effectively as possible. The Minister is prioritising the allocation of resources to enable the Commissioner to enhance the Garda operational response, in particular through the 550 new recruits being taken in to the Garda Training College this year, with a further 600 new recruits to commence training next year. Thus far, 295 new gardaí have been attested as members of An Garda Síochána and are now working in communities nationwide. This probably is the most tangible way the Government can demonstrate its commitment to providing people with the reassurance that comes from a visible and determined police force. The Minister also is ensuring An Garda Síochána has the necessary vehicles and technology to respond to the highly mobile gangs behind much burglary offending. Having secured additional funding, she now anticipates that a total of 630 new Garda vehicles will have come on stream during 2015. Furthermore, the capital plan for 2016-21 provides €205 million for the ongoing delivery of new Garda vehicles, as well as investment in new technology and information systems. Such measures are, of course, additional to the extensive community policing and crime prevention measures which are implemented by An Garda Síochána countrywide. These include the work of Garda crime prevention officers and support for more than 3,900 community alert and neighbourhood watch groups, as well as the successful Garda text alert scheme which is available in every Garda division and now has more than 130,000 subscribers.

In the context of the extensive investment under way and taking into account the Minister's ongoing discussions with the Commissioner and the heads of the other justice agencies, she is of the view that a generalised grants scheme for domestic alarms would not be the best use of the available resources to help protect communities from burglary crime. Instead, a focus is to be placed on working with communities and organisations to engage the community in preventing crime. To this end, the Minister has recently announced a doubling in the funding for both the community alert and the Crimestoppers schemes. Crime prevention measures at the level of individual households and businesses are extremely important, of course, and excellent advice is available from the Garda on the range of steps that can be taken to protect property. In terms of determining how best to allocate resources, however, the Minister considers that greater impact will be achieved for everyone in the community through the measures she is putting in place. She hopes the Senator will nevertheless accept that the increased resources which are coming on stream represent a significant investment by the Government in enhanced policing and community safety in all areas.

I thank the Minister of State and, of course, accept that it would be a huge cost on the Exchequer. I also acknowledge the Garda crime prevention officers and the support of the community alert and neighbourhood watch groups. Moreover, I agree that they are fantastic and doing great work. It is just that people still live in fear. One can almost taste their fear as they speak and this fear is being whipped up a lot because the minute they hear there has been a burglary down the road, they think they will be next and that it will happen to them. I am disappointed that this proposal has not been perceived to be an option.

I also accept that in economic terms we are in the early stages of recovery and as such, funding may not be readily available. However, I hope this proposal would not be ruled out completely and that it might be an option at some stage. While I am aware that relief on the expense can be claimed under the refurbishment plan, this option is only available to people paying tax such that those who do not pay tax are unable to obtain any relief. I had hoped the Minister of State was going respond to the effect that the proposal would be examined and, perhaps, discussed with the Minister for Finance. However, I accept his response.

I thank the Senator for her remarks. In regard to the position in County Kerry, generally there is great co-operation between An Garda Síochána and local communities. Given the current reduced number of gardaí in the force, everybody must become the eyes and ears of An Garda Síochána. Irrespective of Garda numbers, it is impossible to prevent people from carrying out burglaries if that is what they want to do. A classic example in this regard is the burglary of the home of the former Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, while there was a Garda stationed at his front door. If people want to rob houses, they will do so. One cannot have a garda at every crossroads in the country. As such, everybody must be vigilant. If I am out late at night and see a suspicious vehicle, I report it to the local Garda station. People who are suspicious of the activities of others or who see a person in a place where he or she should not be are duty bound to report that to their local Garda station.

Members of An Garda Síochána are engaging with and providing advice for community groups on these issues, which is a very good approach. If we want to prevent rural crime and burglaries we have to work closely with An Garda Síochána. I understand, although I do not have the statistics with me, that while the level of rural crime has increased in some counties, it has decreased in others. I again thank the Senator for raising this important matter and will pass on her views to the Minister.

I take the opportunity to mention also two initiatives that come within the remit of the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, namely, the senior alert scheme under which grant assistance is available for personal monitored alarms for older persons of limited means and the recently announced funding under the rural development programme 2014-20 to support the provision of CCTV systems in rural areas. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, is also mindful of the interest in community CCTV schemes, particularly in rural communities, and has recently instigated a review of their effectiveness in conjunction with the Garda authorities. The outcome of that review will inform future decisions on the continuation of the scheme. The Minister has asked me to emphasise that while she agrees that we must do all we can to protect people from crime, the measures outlined represent the best deployment of Government resources to support community safety. The Minister is working closely with the Garda Commissioner on the finalisation of details for an enhanced operational response to burglaries and related crimes and expects to be in a position to make further announcements in this regard shortly.