Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Garda Commissioner and his team, Mr. John Twomey, Mr. Michael Finn and Mr. Joseph Nugent, as well as their colleagues. The Commissioner has just completed his first year in the job which I sincerely hope he is enjoying. He has taken the organisation in a professional direction and instilled confidence. The vast majority of the public are on his side and public confidence in the work he is doing is at an all-time high compared to his predecessors. That has to be welcomed. I hope he is enjoying the important work involved in his new role and the associated challenges.

It is commendable that Mr. Harris has introduced significant structural changes after less than 12 months. Most people welcome the proposed reduction in the numbers of senior managers, namely, chief superintendents and superintendents, and the increased numbers of officers on the ground, especially those involved in community policing. Also welcome is the assurance that gardaí are moving from administration tasks to do the work they were trained to do within communities. I would love to see that happen in other organisations. If the Commissioner is considering a career move, perhaps he could move to the HSE because that organisation seems to be moving in the opposite direction.

I agree with the Commissioner's comment that change is difficult and challenging. That is particularly the case within communities when they see change. I am the type of person who defends it when I believe it is being done for the right and appropriate reasons and the correct rationale behind it. I want to talk briefly about the changes the Commissioner is proposing to make in the mid-west and the joining of the divisions in counties Clare and Tipperary, in particular. We do not have the facility to display PowerPoint slides, but I want to show the Commissioner a picture of a bridge that is the only connection between counties Clare and Tipperary. It is small and we are considering investing in a new one. It connects Killaloe and Ballina. I highlight its position as the map to which the Commissioner referred did not reflect the waterway between the two counties.