Ms Anne Marie McMahon:

Just to update the committee, an attestation was due to take place on 15 January. We will now bring that forward to 15 December. There are 151 trainee gardaí in that cohort who will be ready for deployment on 16 December. We are currently working through where they will be allocated. In line with previous allocations, a considerable cohort will be assigned to the DMR, but other areas around the country will be getting an allocation as well. They will be returning to the Garda College on 14 January to complete their training – that is, from 14 to 24 January. They have some exams and other instruction to do. However, they will be ready for deployment on 16 December. That is the update.