CREED CONFIRMS NEW GARDA STATION FOR MACROOM

Cork North West TD Michael Creed has this morning welcomed confirmation that construction of the new Macroom Garda Station is to proceed as part of An Garda Síochána Building & Refurbishment Programme 2016 – 2021. Commenting on the inclusion of the new Garda Station building in the programme Deputy Creed said:

“I am extremely pleased that Gardaí in Macroom are finally going to receive a new state of the art Garda Station after many years pursuing this matter. For too long Gardaí have been working in sub-standard conditions. This work will help ensure that our Garda station will be modern and fit for purpose. We need to support the Gardaí in carrying out their work to protect the community”.

“Last year I brought the Minister for Justice to Macroom to visit the existing Garda Station to inspect first-hand the urgency of the situation there. I am pleased that these efforts have now borne fruit and that Macroom tops the list of new stations earmarked for construction under the new building programme.

“Today is a great day for the tremendous staff of Macroom Garda Station and the wider district, who use the Macroom Station. I am keen to see this project which will be funded through a PPP proceed to construction as soon as possible. A site has been procured adjoining the site of the new Macroom Fire Station. I have already been in contact with authorities regarding planning permission and the next stage of progress will be to finalise design and proceed to planning.

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald on a visit to Macroom Garda Station last year.

CREED WELCOMES JUSTICE MINISTER TO MACROOM IN PUSH FOR NEW GARDA STATION

Cork North West TD, Michael Creed welcomed his colleague the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald TD, to Macroom on Saturday (22nd November) to discuss the urgent need for a new Garda station in the town. Commenting on the meeting Deputy Creed said:

“I was pleased to get the opportunity to show the Minister first- hand the poor facilities Gardaí are working with in the Macroom station, in order to underline the urgent need for development of the proposed new Station in the town. Fortunately, the purchase of a site for a new station, has reached the conclusion phase. In the pursuit of capital funding to take the project to construction phase, the opportunity to bring the Minister to Macroom to engage with Garda representatives in the area was most welcome. I am committed to ensuring that this matter is a priority issue for Minister Fitzgerald for the remainder of her term in office”.

SINN FEIN CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS ON POLICING

Cork North West, Fine Gael TD Michael Creed has this morning criticised Sinn Fein for being duplicitous on the issue of policing. Commenting on Deputy Mary Lou McDonald’s allegation that the arrest of Sinn Fein Leader Gerry Adams was politically motivated Deputy Creed said:

“Sinn Fein and in particular their Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald has been very vocal in recent weeks when upholding the independence and the authority of policing on this island. Then in a gross act of hypocricy she unleashes an irresponsible and calculated attack on the credibility the authority and indeed the independence of the PSNI when she accuses them of acting in a politically motivated fashion”

“The truth of the matter is that Sinn Fein’s approach to justice is selective and in itself politically motivated”

Dáil Speech Topical Issues 27/11/12 – Call for Public Inquiry into death of Fr Niall Molloy

Watch the debate by clicking here

I thank the Ceann Comhairle’s office. I thank the Minister of State for being present to reply to the debate but am disappointed that the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, did not see fit to attend this particular debate, given its significance.

On 8 July 1985, Fr. Niall Molloy was murdered. To date nobody has been brought to justice for that murder. There is a view, which I believe is sustained by the facts, that the cover up of that murder was aided and abetted by an omertà-style collusion between the most powerful forces in the State – the senior political establishment, the Judiciary, the Catholic Church, senior medical personnel and the Garda. For that reason alone, it is imperative that the Minister accedes to the request being made by me and Deputies Phelan and McGrath that an independent commission of inquiry be established. The Minister may well reply that the case is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Garda cold case unit. The family has communicated with the Garda Commissioner to indicate its members no longer have confidence in that inquiry. The level of mismanagement of this case by gardaí sustains their case and it is imperative that the Minister should now act on the issue.

There is an enormous amount of information in the public arena at this stage about mysterious fires in coroners’ offices, files being stolen from the Garda and deals done to retrieve those files, but we have no answers. Gardaí investigating gardaí – which in effect is what the cold case unit is doing – is not an appropriate way to proceed. It is very difficult in two minutes to do justice to the degree of mismanagement and the miscarriage of justice inherent in this case, but I urge the Minister to act. He is familiar with the facts; I have written to him on the issue. I urge him to accede to the family’s request for an independent commission of inquiry.