Mr. Jack Nolan:

My point is that, at a time when the strength of the organisation was significantly reduced, 64,000 man hours were freed up as a consequence of the closure of Garda stations. This enabled us to have a presence. Currently, we are at the opposite end of the spectrum and are increasing the number of gardaí. By the end of 2016, we will have increased the strength of the organisation by approximately 1,200 people since 2014. The net effect is less than that, due to the 300 concomitant retirements each year. It will be the summer of next year before there is a significant increase in the numbers that will take us back towards the levels we had in the 2007 to 2008 period. The Government has committed to our having 15,000 serving members of An Garda Síochána, a doubling of our civilian strength from 2,000 to 4,000 and a doubling of the Garda reserve from 1,000 to 2,000 people. That will give us a combined strength of 21,000 people. That is a significant physical presence and capability, which will be visible on our streets, in our communities and in our engagement process.