Ms Nóirín O'Sullivan:

There are two aspects. The challenge I referred to in my opening statement relates to what the Deputy is talking about, namely, future-proofing. The Government has committed to increasing the strength of the organisation to 21,000, which we very much welcome and I believe will benefit the citizens of the State hugely, but this poses challenges in terms of future-proofing the accommodation requirements. The building programme under way provides for the opening this year of three significant headquarters in Galway, Wexford and Kevin Street in Dublin. These will be prototypes for future Garda stations. As I mentioned in my opening statement, the current estate, which we inherited, is old and archaic. Many of the buildings are unfit for purpose, including some that are currently occupied. In addition to the major building programme, a refurbishment programme is under way on a number of sites throughout the country, including in Sligo, Macroom and Clonmel.