Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the difficulty the Minister has had in getting trainees on board. It is hard. When it comes to trainees, we must make being a garda a job worth applying for. In this regard, the remuneration is very important, but so is having a proper pension. These new gardaí are on the post-2013 pension provision. Those joining the Garda now, compared with those who joined the force in 2012, are not getting the same pension provision. There is an inequality here for new gardaí. I would like the Minister to look at this aspect of the pension and whether it is possible to make this more attractive.

Equally, when the Garda Commissioner was in the committee room before the Minister came into the Chamber, I suggested he could look at the Garda stations around the country, particularly in the Dublin area. If trainee gardaí are going to be posted to Dublin, it is important to consider whether one of the Garda stations here could be used for accommodation for gardaí. Instead of these trainees having to travel from Cork, Galway or wherever they are coming from, accommodation would be available in the city. Does An Garda Síochána need all the stations it has in Dublin now? Is there a station that could be looked at and that would have room to be built onto? Could a certain number of rooms be provided in a location like that for gardaí to live in during the week or at the weekends? I am sure this possibility could be explored. I do not think we need all the current Garda stations and buildings. We need foot soldiers on the ground. Perhaps, then, this is something the Minister could examine in conjunction with the Garda Commissioner. I refer to considering if accommodation can be provided, especially in the more expensive cities of Dublin, Cork and Galway.