Colm Brophy
Dublin South-West · Fine Gael · Ireland
“The Minister has outlined very clearly our intention in relation to this matter. We have always been very clear that the ARP would be a temporary provision. It was introduced in 2022 as a response to a crisis, always with the view that it would be phased out. That remains the case.”
“It is important to look at the ARP in the context of what is happening here. We are reducing the payment back to the original rate in order to fulfil the original intention. We thank the people for the generosity they showed in opening their homes to Ukrainians who came to live with us here in Ireland.”
“It is important, as the Minister has mentioned, to recognise and thank all of the people who participated in the scheme, and to recognise the work of the Irish Red Cross and the many people who have made the scheme a success. We recognise that there are difficulties with schemes, and that is why this one has been under constant review.”
“What we want to work towards is a solution which recognises that contribution and which examines how, in the longer term, we can work with the Ukrainian people in our country and with the Government of Ukraine in order to ensure that a pathway exists for them to either continue to live here or, if they so choose, to return home.”
“lreland ratified the convention on International Women's Day, 8 March 2019. Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence 2022-2026 is structured around the four pillars of the convention, namely, prevention, protection, prosecution and policy co-ordination.”
“Some of the treaty provisions relate to the justice sphere and, therefore, Title V of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. In light of Ireland’s position under Protocol 21, the court determined that two decisions were necessary, one to cover areas coming within scope of Protocol 21 where an opt-in is required and another t…”
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“This will not only ensure that classes can open quickly, as existing accommodation can be reconfigured in a more streamlined and efficient manner, but it will also provide more options for parents in local areas as more and more schools open specialist provision. However, as in other years where schools have no available accommodation, particularly at post-primary level, and there is a known demand in a local area, the Department of Education will continue to provide additional classroom accommodation to provide necessary places. At local level in Lucan, and indeed nationwide, the NCSE continues to examine where provision is best placed to meet demand. I confirm that the council has ruled out sanctioning a special class at Scoil Mhuire for the coming school year.”
“I thank the Deputy for asking the question. I stress that enabling students with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is an absolute priority for the Government. It is the Government's priority to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and that necessary supports are provided to our schools to allow children with special educational needs to flourish and prosper. To ensure schools can open new special classes as quickly as possible, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is examining which schools have capacity to expand and is reaching out to medium and larger primary schools with available accommodation, and no existing special class, to open a new special class for the 2025-26 school year.”
“I will of course convey the Deputy's views to the Minister. In summary, transport connectivity is obviously highly important for people who live and work, as we know, throughout Ireland. It is key to our villages, towns, and to Dublin and our other cities to encourage urban centres and have strong local economies. I believe, as does the Minister, in expanding the public transport network and increasing services throughout the country, including in the west Fingal area. The ways we have set out to do that are included in what I said, such as BusConnects and Connecting Ireland. That will lead to a better facility overall for public transport users. I will take note of the Deputy's request and pass it on to the Minister.”
“This major public transport project will extend the existing Luas tram network northwards by almost 4 km from Broombridge to the Finglas area, shortening journey times to and from Dublin city centre to approximately 30 minutes or less. This route will provide interchanges with Broombridge train station, which is on the planned DART+ west line, as well as bus services. These projects represent a major improvement to public transport offerings in the west Fingal area.”
“This enabled the project to enter the planning system. In September 2022 Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, submitted a planning application to An Bord Pleanála. The railway order consultation period, following the submission of the railway order application, provided the opportunity for stakeholders along the MetroLink route to raise concerns about the project. The statutory planning consultation for the project closed in January 2023. In 2024, An Bord Pleanála held an oral hearing and an additional round of public consultation in relation to MetroLink. A planning decision from An Bord Pleanála is awaited. In addition to the above, TII submitted a planning application for Luas Finglas to An Bord Pleanála last November. The statutory consultation period for this project closed in January.”
“Two orders for the new DART+ train fleet have been placed so far. The first order is for the purchase of 95 additional DART carriages, which comprise 65 battery-electric carriages and 30 electric carriages. These carriages started arriving into Ireland last year and are currently undergoing testing, prior to entry into service. The battery-electric carriages are planned to enter service on the northern line from Dublin to Drogheda in 2026. MetroLink will provide improved access to employment, education, leisure and healthcare facilities. This includes Dublin Airport, the Mater hospital, the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, and numerous other locations in Dublin city centre. The Government approved MetroLink under decision gate 1 of the public spending code in July 2022.”
“However, there have been some positive developments recently, with An Bord Pleanála approving 11 of the 12 BusConnects Dublin core bus corridors, including the Swords to the city centre scheme, as well as the conditional approval of DART+ West and full approval of DART+ South West projects. These projects will continue to advance in the coming years. It is anticipated that the first of the BusConnects Dublin core bus corridors will enter construction later this year, which will represent a significant milestone in the delivery of the major public transport projects. The first six phases of the BusConnects Dublin network redesign have also been rolled out in recent years. These new spines, including the A spine via the airport to Swords, will continue to be rolled out on an incremental basis in the coming years.”
“The NTA's greater Dublin area transport strategy, which was approved by the Minister for Transport in January 2023, sets out a framework for transport investment across the region over a 20-year period from 2022 to 2042, and it provides a clear statement of transport planning policy. This strong policy support has been backed up by increased levels of Exchequer funding, which is supporting the roll-out of initiatives such as MetroLink, BusConnects Dublin and DART+. The delivery of these projects had been delayed due to delays in the planning approval process.”
“I would not be quite as nice to Meath people at a Leinster final or on an All-Ireland Sunday, as the Deputy was there. I thank her for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport. Improving public transport services and infrastructure is central to improving citizens' quality of life and achieving our decarbonisation goals. Achieving these goals has been set out in the programme for Government. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for transport planning in the greater Dublin area, including in Fingal West.”
“I agree with the Deputy that it is really important to get them up and running quickly, to get community buy-in and to get that feeling that we are moving forward in this area. I think we are. The implementation of the Act will have a tremendous effect. The resourcing of it is there and I have no doubt, from my own community where I have dealt with a host of issues in this area, that there is a real desire in community groups to see this work and succeed. I know the Department is determined, through the resourcing being made available, to see that happen as well.”
“Each LCSP will be supported by a full-time co-ordinator and a full-time administrator, resourced by the Department of Justice. Section 114 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 provides for making of regulations to establish the LCSPs. My Department is working with the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, OPLA, to facilitate drafts of these regulations, which it is proposed will commence shortly.”
“Three innovative pilot LCSPs were set up in Waterford, Longford and Dublin’s north-inner city in 2021. The pilot process was accompanied by an independent evaluation to help inform best practice for the national roll-out. We see how the model can succeed in different contexts and settings. 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 their work so that issues arising can be dealt with in a co-ordinated manner, addressed collectively by relevant service providers in partnership with the community. A total of 36 partnerships will be established, based in each local authority administrative area.”
“The Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2024, which Minister O’Callaghan enacted yesterday, provides for the establishment of these local community safety partnerships, which will operate at each local authority level. The partnerships will replace and build upon the good work of the joint policing committees, supplementing this by bringing together a broader range of relevant stakeholders including local councillors, An Garda Síochána, local residents, community representatives, business and education representatives and a range of statutory agencies, including the HSE, Tusla and each local authority. As someone who was on a joint policing committee for many years, I acknowledge and thank all the people who worked on those committees over the years. Those people did an incredible job.”
“It is also about State services working with each other and the community to take a shared approach in solving issues relating to community safety. High-visibility policing is, of course, an important factor in communities feeling safe but our gardaí are not solely responsible for safety in our communities. This is what the new whole-of-government community safety structure is central to and what LCSPs will aim to address. It will bring the relevant service providers and An Garda Síochána together to work with each community in a collaborative manner to focus on tackling the concerns identified and prioritised by the local community itself. That is really important, as someone who has come through this from a council background right the way through to being a TD.”
“I am well aware of the incredible work the Deputy does with local communities on this issue and how she has championed it. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, I thank the Deputy for raising this matter today. The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and community safety as a whole-of-government responsibility. Community safety is about much more than policing. It is about how we look after and support each other and the most vulnerable in our society. It is about the provision of services that focus on prevention and early interventions, such as addiction support and early childhood interventions. It is about supporting businesses and how our communities in which we live look and feel.”
“I fully hear what the Deputy is saying. He is making an important point on that funding issue. I am more than happy to take that back to the Minister. The Deputy mentioned our constituency, which has a similar situation with regard to school funding. It is important. Obviously, the FSSU plays an important role. It is an issue I will highlight to the Minister and I have no doubt the Deputy will continue to do so as well.”
“The financial support services unit, FSSU, funded by the Department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on financial matters, including budgeting and cash flow management.”
“This additional funding announced in budget 2025 is designed to assist schools with increased day-to-day running costs such as heating and electricity. This funding was paid at a rate of €36 per pupil in primary schools. Enhanced rates were also paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils. The Department of Education is aware that costs and funding can pose a very real problem for schools and is constantly working to address this matter and to enhance the financial and other supports available to schools. While not wishing to pre-empt the outcomes of any future budget negotiations or fiscal parameters agreed by Government, the Department of Education will continue to seek to prioritise the funding required to meet the ongoing costs of running schools.”
“This represents an increase of 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates. This increase is on top of a 9.2% increase from last year’s budget. This will bring the standard rate of capitation grant to €224 per pupil in primary and €386 per student in post-primary from September 2025. Enhanced rates will also be paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils. Schools should also ensure they are availing of the available Office of Government Procurement frameworks and getting best value for money for all school expenditure. I acknowledge the Deputy mentioned that is being done by a number of schools. In addition to these grants, €45 million in cost-of-living supports was issued in November 2024 to support all recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education system.”
“Schools have a flexibility to use capitation funding, provided for general running costs, and ancillary funding, provided for caretaking and secretarial services, as a common grant from which the board of management can allocate according to its own priorities, except for the employment of relevant secretaries, as per the circular of 2022. The current standard rate of capitation grant is €200 per pupil in primary schools and €345 per student in post-primary schools. Primary schools with fewer than 60 pupils are paid the capitation and the ancillary grants on the basis of having 60 pupils. As part of the capitation package in budget 2025, the Department is pleased to have secured more than €30 million as a permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and in the longer term with increased day-to-day running costs.”
“I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the position relating to financial funding for schools. The Department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to the schools that have contacted the Department or have been referred to the FSSU. The Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme by way of per capita grants, as the Deputy mentioned. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day-to-day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general upkeep, and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff.”
“The LCSPs are also supplementing the work done by the JPCs by bringing them together with a broader range of stakeholders, including local councillors, An Garda Síochána, local residents, community representatives, business and education representatives and a variety of statutory agencies, including the HSE, Tusla and each local authority. I thank Deputies for their contributions to this very important debate. I look forward to engaging with them, along with my fellow Ministers, in the coming months.”
“Many of those projects focus on the use of education, sport and recreation and social interaction to proactively address safety concerns in our communities. Some Deputies may have concerns about the joint policing committees, JPCs, in their local area. The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which commences shortly, will provide for the establishment of a central national infrastructure, with local community safety partnerships, LCSPs, operating at each local authority level. The partnerships are building upon the good work undertaken through the joint policing committees.”
“Putting the money back into communities is a real way to show that the efforts of law enforcement can directly contribute to making people feel safer. That is why we established the community safety fund, CSF, which encourages and supports the development of ways to improve our community safety by the people who best understand the needs of their locality. The CSF had an initial allocation of €2 million in 2022, increasing to €3 million in 2023, to €3.75 million in budget 2024 and to €4 million in budget 2025. We can see some themes emerging. Last year's successful applicants included projects aiming at addressing antisocial behaviour, domestic violence, drug-related intimidation, safety on public transport - a key concern for many people, social exclusion, youth programmes and prison post-release support.”
“The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, recently announced the selection of two new youth diversion projects for Tipperary and Clare, which will achieve the target set out in the youth justice strategy to ensure there is national coverage of the YDP service. Diverting vulnerable children away from a life of crime and giving them an opportunity to build a better future for themselves is key to our commitment to building safer and stronger communities. An Garda Síochána and the Criminal Assets Bureau enjoy continuing success in disrupting the activities of criminals by seizing from them the proceeds of crime. We often hear that communities impacted by these criminals would like to see that money reinvested in their community.”
“Youth justice is not just about preventing crime; it is about nurturing potential and fostering resilience within our communities. It is not about young people avoiding the consequences of their actions. It is about offering them an opportunity to get back on the right path and to stay out of criminality. We are committed to providing specialist interventions for young individuals who are hard to reach. Our network of youth diversion projects, YDPs, do great work across the country in diverting young people who have become involved in crime or antisocial behaviour and supporting wider preventative work within communities and with families at risk.”
“The members deployed to Operation Citizen are drawn from the Store Street and Pearse Street Garda stations, thereby utilising the gardaí who are best placed to provide the most effective policing service. They bring with them their local knowledge. Operation Táirge focuses on the growing issue of retail theft. In 2024, there were 8,460 arrests and 20,052 charge summonses recorded in association with this targeted operation. At the heart of our approach to community safety is the principle that every community has the right to thrive and flourish. Youth justice is a vital part of that vision to create safe and secure communities, which is something the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, will work on throughout his brief. How we care for young people is central to this goal.”
“When incidents occur, they respond quickly, effectively and with a graduated response. I am grateful to all gardaí for their ongoing efforts to keep people safe. The Garda Commissioner has assured the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, that he has the resources to police the city. At the end of December 2024, there were 3,809 gardaí working in Dublin. Of those, 1,381 are assigned to the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, north-central and south-central divisions and to policing the inner city. A number of Garda operations are taking place in Dublin to provide a high-visibility policing presence and deter antisocial behaviour. As part of Operation Citizen, uniformed Garda members perform high-visibility patrols on foot as well as on bicycles and respond to reports of crime throughout Dublin city centre.”
“It is important to note that the new Garda operational model, which is almost fully rolled out across the country, was specifically designed to deliver a greater level of public engagement with the superintendents in charge of community engagement in An Garda Síochána divisions. Many of the new gardaí attesting in Templemore on Friday will be assigned to busy stations in our capital city. As a TD for Dublin South-West, this is very welcome to me, particularly as we approach the busy times around the St. Patrick's Day celebrations, when Dublin receives so many extra visitors from all over the world. We all want to see Dublin being a safe place for people to live in, work in and visit. Gardaí work tirelessly to keep our city safe for residents and visitors alike.”
“The arrival of new probationer gardaí to their stations will be a welcome sight in those communities. New front-line gardaí help the whole Garda organisation by facilitating moves to specialist areas dealing with new and emerging types of crimes, such as cybercrime and cyber fraud, and to areas like community policing. The latter is something Members of the House understand and value. Indeed, a large number of speakers mentioned it as an important and integral part of overall policing. Community gardaí do great work addressing quality-of-life issues, working with people in their local area and providing accessible and visible services to the community.”
“As Minister of State with responsibility for migration, I am proud that An Garda Síochána is committing to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in our society. The organisation continues to foster and embrace diversity by increasing efforts to attract and recruit personnel from every section of our society by enhancing its workplace culture to include, value and support all Garda members and by challenging discrimination and prejudice where it occurs in our society. The increase in the number of civilian Garda staff in recent years has freed up 900 Garda members to concentrate on front-line policing. We continue to see strong numbers of applications to join An Garda Síochána. This Friday, new gardaí will graduate from the Garda College in Templemore and will be assigned to stations right across the country.”
“A well-resourced Garda organisation is vital to improving the feeling of safety for all. Like the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, I want to see increased Garda visibility in communities across the country. That is why the programme for Government commits to recruiting an additional 5,000 Garda members over the next five years. We want to see gardaí in every type of community setting, whether urban or rural. The Minister has impressed this view upon the Garda Commissioner. It is a view shared by the latter and, indeed, by the men and women on the front line of An Garda Síochána. There have been challenges in the area of recruitment but we are starting to see the momentum move in the right direction. The overall Garda workforce, which includes Garda members, civilian staff and the reserve, is, at 18,000, the highest it has been.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to address the House on the issue of community safety policing and crime. I thank all the Deputies for their contributions today. They brought their own perspectives and insights on how we can make our country a safer place for our citizens to live. We all share a common vision that everyone has the right to live in safe and secure communities. The programme for Government for the next five years has extensive and ambitious commitments to enhance the safety and security of our communities right across the range of justice, home affairs and migration. People are concerned, and rightly so, about crime in their communities. High-visibility policing is important to the safety of our communities and that theme has run through most of the contributions today.”