This article is from page 32 of the 2007-05-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 32 JPG
FINE Gael TD Pat Breen has called on the Government to fix a date to which they will commit to for the rollout of CCTV for Ennis following four years of broken promises.
Deputy Breen said CCTV had orig- inally been promised in 2003, then in 2004 and again in 2006.
Ennis has been included in the latest roll out of the scheme announced by the Department of Justice in April.
Deputy Breen said a firm timetable for the installation of CCTV in Ennis must be set out.
“What I would like to know 1s the answer to a simple question, when does the minister expect that closed circuit television system will be op- erational for Ennis?
“The latest promise on this critical deterrent to crime is that over €7.5m has been provided in the Garda Vote for 2007 for CCTV projects for 17 areas including Ennis, but no com- pletion date is being provided. Can the minister or the country’s Oire- achtas members even make an elec- tion promise on this?”
Minister McDowell gave an assur- ance in 2003 that “planning for the
installation of a CCTV system for Ennis is scheduled to commence later this year [2003]”, and in 2004 “that planning for the installation of the CCTV systems in Phase 3, in- cluding Ennis, is scheduled to com- mence later this year [2004]”.
The closing date for tenders issued by An Garda Siochana for CCTV systems passed on April 24. En- nis is one of nine towns along with Drogheda, Tallaght, Mullingar, Wa- terford, Portlaoise, Kilkenny, Sligo, Castlebar, included in the scheme.
Deputy Breen added that last year he was assured by the minister that a
CCTV system would be running “in priority locations, including Ennis, by the end of 2006”.
“It seems to be beyond the remit of this minister and this Government to give a clear commitment to a firm timetable for any substantial project.
“CCTV is a crucial plank in fight against anti-social behavior, vandal- ism and street violence. It is totally unacceptable that we can have this approach to the most basic projects.
“The whole affair again exposes the Government’s failure to project manage even when it is for a rela- tively modest project.”