Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The issues surrounding the Garda retirement age are of long standing. There would have to be detailed negotiations on the points that have been raised. People have very different views on it. I accept what Deputy O'Dowd said about the very tragic situation regarding Garda Tony Golden in his area, the appalling situation that he faced and that his family is now facing.

I do not believe we should be considering any other place for training other than Templemore. Templemore is the centre of excellence. We can examine flexibility in relation to numbers but the Government has made a decision now. We started off with groups of 500 and have now moved that to 600. We have committed to ongoing continuous recruitment. There are other measures that could be taken, such as replacing some gardaí with civilian staff so that gardaí can operate on the front line, rather than carrying out administrative duties. Some improvements can still be made in respect of that.

The kind of investment we are making is the way to deal with the issues Deputy O'Dowd is speaking about. At the recent talks about the North, for example, it was decided that a further cross-Border task force should be established to enhance the work between the PSNI and the Garda Síochána. I will be meeting with the UK Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, and the Northern Ireland justice Minister, David Ford, who rang me today to congratulate the Garda on the work it has been doing recently. That is the way to deal with the complex issues that are being faced in the area Deputy O'Dowd speaks about in particular.