Not one of the 700 Garda stations in the State has been closed since December 1997, the Minister of State for Justice, Mr Brian Lenihan, insisted amid sharp exchanges.
He said the Garda authorities had made proposals to allow for the merging of Garda stations in three separate case. "These proposals have been approved by the Minister," he added. "The Garda authorities have also proposed the closure of two additional stations. Such proposals are under consideration." Suggesting that the Minister of State's reply was "nonsense," the Fine Gael spokesman on justice, Mr John Deasy, said there were plenty of unmanned stations throughout the State which were once manned, such as Stradbally in the parish in which he grew up.
"There are no gardaí their now," said Mr Deasy. "It is utter nonsense. What does an elderly person who hears someone breaking down their back door do when the nearest garda is 20 miles away?" Mr Lenihan replied: "I do not know if the deputy heard the answer, but no Garda station has been closed since December 31st 1997." Mr Deasy asked if Mr Lenihan knew of the sense of insecurity which existed in a community when gardaí left.
Mr Lenihan said the strength of the Garda was at an historic high in the State. He added that he shared Mr Deasy's concern, which any law-abiding citizen would have regarding their personal security and the security of their property. "However, I do not accept that gardaí are unavailable to the public," he added.