Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses and thank them for the work the Garda does on behalf of us all in increasingly difficult circumstances. Our appreciation is heartfelt.

I wish to ask a number of questions. The Commissioner mentioned the new operating model. In my neck of the woods of Cavan and Monaghan, there are deep concerns among members of the community and gardaí. Changes have been made to the original proposals. For example, Donegal and Kerry were meant to be part of divisions involving a number of other counties. Following the review, they will now be stand-alone divisions, which is a sensible and welcome decision.

The three counties of Cavan, Monaghan and Louth are together, as are the three counties of Mayo, Roscommon and Longford. I will stick with the former, though. They are three Border counties whose policing needs are consequently unique compared to many other parts of the country. The Commissioner will know all about that, including the trials and challenges that flow from the situation. Will he listen to the requests to re-examine the model?

Mention was made of retention and recruitment. I understand from figures that have been circulating that approximately 240 gardaí will be attested this year. That number is alarming when one considers that, with the number of members retiring early and others retiring on time, we are losing somewhere north of 500 members per annum. Based on the figures available to the Commissioner for the number of people coming through the door currently, how many gardaí does he estimate will be attested in 2024 and 2025?

I heard reports this morning about what happened when gardaí were injured in the course of duty. I understand that there are delays in gardaí getting access to the chief medical officer to sign off on confirming that they were injured while on duty. In some instances, the delays stretch to 12 months. After three months, though, a garda goes on half pay. Are my facts here correct? If so, it seems unfair that someone who is out there protecting the community and who gets injured is left on half pay through no fault of his or her own.

To be parochial, we have issues around community policing and how there are no drugs units. This is concerning, as the importance of community policing cannot be overstated. I am heartened by the Commissioner’s comments about being attentive to the concerns raised by the Garda representative bodies. Those concerns are wide and varied, as he outlined in his contribution. We cannot deny that pay is one of those concerns. I understand that one of the representative organisations – I believe it was the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, AGSI – has proposed that a pay review body be established. Would the Commissioner support such a call?