Mr. Joseph Nugent:

It starts with us all supporting one another. That informal mechanism starts the process off where we as members of the organisation are supportive of those who have to deal with the types of circumstances the Senator described. That is enhanced by formal peer support mechanisms where individuals can contact others who have been trained in this space to assist in dealing with the realities of the experiences. A further layer is our employee assistance service which is available throughout the country and comprises professionally trained individuals who are in place to provide the range of supports for any individual who encounters difficulty in any aspects of his or her personal or work life. In the formal space, a confidential 24-7 counselling line is available, delivered independently to the organisation, which provides the option for counselling services to those who feel they need that. Underpinning all of this, we have a new chief medical officer who was appointed in the past 12 months and he is very conscious and aware of this space.

As the Commissioner said, we need to ensure the types of supports that need to be provided to all our Garda staff and Garda members are available and in place. The Commissioner is committed to enhancing and developing that further over the coming years. I agree completely with the Senator. In my role I will not face the traumatic experiences that my colleagues throughout the country have to endure, but my responsibility is to ensure that, if and when people are in difficulty, the necessary supports are in place, and we will continue to do that.