2. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reforms of An Garda Síochána he will be encouraging the newly appointed Garda Commissioner to introduce. [54472/25]

Sentiment score: 0.26

What reforms is the Minister going to encourage the new Garda Commissioner to introduce? I will concentrate on financial controls and reform in An Garda Síochána. The Comptroller and Auditor General has issued a report about hundreds of thousands of euro being lost in connection with policing the Europa League final. Later today, my colleague Deputy Eoghan Kenny will meet with the Garda Síochána anti-corruption unit with regard to a senior garda having stayed in a very plush five-star hotel during the Biden visit, which obviously came at a serious cost to the taxpayer. What reforms is the Minister going to encourage the new Commissioner to introduce, particularly with regard to financial management and controls?

Sentiment score: 0.13

On Deputy Kenny's meeting with the anti-corruption unit of An Garda Síochána later, I hope that internal promotions of those who are the subject of the ongoing investigation will not occur until that investigation is concluded. I am sure the Minister will agree. It is not just that, however. There is a culture. There was a contract worth €500,000 for holsters but these were defective and ended up being destroyed. There were other holsters that only had an issue with a strap but these were also destroyed at a cost to the taxpayer. Defective ammunition was also destroyed, at a cost of €160,000. A Walther LP500 air pistol for which An Garda Síochána had no use was bought at a cost of €2,000. Why does An Garda Síochána even have that pistol? It has nothing to do with policing. The Minister might investigate that. There is also a large-scale scanner that cost €44,250. With licence renewals, that cost comes to more than €93,000. It has never been used. There is obviously an issue in An Garda Síochána that needs to be taken up with the Commissioner. Changes need to happen with regard to financial management.

Sentiment score: -0.09

It is quite ironic that the Minister mentions improvements in IT. He will know that our automated fingerprinting system, AFIS, was said to be out of date in 2016. Some 17,000 sets of prints have been lost forever. God knows what impact that has had on policing and crime. That system has been out of date since 2016. At the time, replacing it was quoted at €20 million. It has been renewed every year at a cost of €5 million. Some €40 million has been spent on a system that has to be replaced. How is that a good use of taxpayers' money? How is it a good example of using money to solve crime when 17,000 sets of fingerprints have gone missing? The Minister is right; we need to update our IT system. Gardaí need that. However, how is it acceptable that the misuse of this amount of money, this inefficiency and this loss of potentially crime-solving data is continuously allowed to happen? Why was this not dealt with many years ago?

Sentiment score: -0.03

They are still live.

Sentiment score: 0.00

Some 17,000 sets of fingerprints were lost.

Sentiment score: -0.32