No seats for Laois TDs on new community safety partnership, which includes gardaí

The membership of a new Laois committee that aims to prioritise the voice of local people in identifying and addressing community safety issues will not include TDs.

Work is advancing in Laois to recruit members of the public for the county's Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSP).  i

It will involve local councillors, Gardaí, community representatives, business and education representatives, and a range of statutory agencies, including Laois County Council, the HSE, Tusla in Laois.

The Laois Public Participation Network (PPN) is seeking nominations for Laois PPN Reps from the hundreds of groups affiliated to the network. There will be four representatives from local residents committees/associations in each of the three municipal districts. Portlaoise town will have one rep. Thre will also be one new /minority communities representative and one one social inclusion representative.

Laois PPN has told members that the purposes of the the LCSP is as follows.

• Provide a forum for collaborative problem-solving between communities and agencies.
• Identify local priorities in relation to community safety.
• Develop and oversee initiatives that promote safer, stronger, and more resilient communities.
• Ensure that the voices of local communities are central to shaping safety responses.

LCSP meetings are expected to take place on a quarterly basis during working hours with the schedule finalised when the full committee for the LCSP is in place.

The final approval of each candidate deemed elected as a Laois PPN Rep to the LCSP, is subject to the approval of the Laois PPN Secretariat and ratification by Laois County Councillors. The final approval will be subject to the Ministerial approval.

Laois TDs were members of the Joint Policing Committees but will not be on the new committees which will have a maximum of 30 members. Laois TD Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Justice in the Dáil in October if TDs could be part of the partnerships.

The Minister said there would be input but stopped short of saying they could be members.

"I recognise the importance of participation by elected representatives and we must ensure they remain central to the new partnerships. Seven local authority members will be nominated to their Local Community Safety Partnerships from amongst, and by, their membership and will have a crucial role to play in ensuring the voice of their constituents is represented.

"All elected representatives will also have further opportunities to engage with their safety partnership, including a closed meeting for members of the Oireachtas and local authority to meet with members of the Safety Partnership. My Department is exploring mechanisms to ensure that TDs and Senators have clear channels through which to contribute to local community safety priorities, thereby ensuring strong alignment between local and national objectives," he said.

Mr O'Callaghan added that all partnerships will be in place by the end of 2026 and have hosted their first meetings in the coming weeks.

The Laois JPC stopped meeting over a year ago. At one stage there were four JPCs in Laois.