James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The GRA may have touched on my final question, which is on overtime being used to increase resources on the street at particular times. Is such overtime voluntary or mandatory? If a big event such as a concert, a GAA match or the budget is coming up - Members appreciated the services that were provided in the House that day - and a major ramp-up of operations is covered by overtime, is that overtime optional for Garda members? Is it voluntary? Could it be a scenario whereby a call-out is made and Garda members say "No thanks, I am busy this weekend"? How does that work?