Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are now four regions. With regard to the movement of gardaí within regions, the issue of new recruits who may, for whatever reason, wish to apply to be within commuting distance of their home, because of elderly parents or otherwise, arose recently. Deployment in Dublin may not have suited a garda from west Mayo, for example, and he or she could apply to be closer to home. I understand there has been some resistance to this and that the rule has changed such that gardaí are no longer allowed to apply for deployment elsewhere. I would like clarification on that. If gardaí are within a particular region, will they remain there, or will there be a crossover or movement?

With regard to the rotas, we often hear anecdotally that in a busy town on a Saturday night, there might be only two gardaí on duty while there may be nine on a Monday afternoon, when they are not required to the same extent at all. Is work being done to ensure rotas reflect the level of need rather than what is convenient?