Mr. Drew Harris:

On disability awareness training, I know that certain training is undergone in Templemore, but I will ascertain the full picture and then report back to the committee, at which stage we will see what more needs to be done in that regard.

I received member's representations on the proposed division of Waterford, Kilkenny and Carlow, but I was not able to give much comfort other than to say that a final decision has not yet been made. It will be made shortly in consultation with my senior team. We have carefully noted the comments made today on the issue. On consultation, the simplest part of the change is putting lines on the map. The next step, which will be difficult, involves local implementation. That will be an extensive process that will require the full engagement of the organisation. The changes were flagged long in advance by the design principles that were applied to the divisional structure and the resultant decision on the number of divisions in An Garda Síochána. Now that we have reached this point, we must begin implementation, which will ensure that we provide a locally bespoke policing service that meets the requirements of local policing plans and communities. That will be the focus going forward. We hope that people in all areas will see an uplift in the quality of the policing service.

I visited Cork two weeks ago and many of the points made by Deputy Ó Laoghaire on distribution, particularly that of probationary gardaí in June, were made during my visit. Some rebalancing needs to be done following the distribution in June. At the time, there were specific and very critical issues to which we had to respond. Together with my colleagues, I took a decision on distribution. In some ways we will have to rebalance that in the coming period. In spite of our financial position, we will be able to recruit a further 200 gardaí in December. We plan to allocate approximately 700 gardaí in the new year, depending on our financial situation. There are plenty of individuals joining An Garda Síochána, which, along with the recruitment of Garda staff, will make a difference to community policing teams and our overall visibility. Roster reform is a very important part of ensuring that we have gardaí available at the right times in the right places. The importance of the night-time economy was reinforced several times during the meeting.