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

I thank the Chair and I thank the Commissioner for his opening statement and his engagement on what is a very important and critical issue for so many people . As was stated, there have been 75 deaths on the roads so far this year and many people have been injured. We all recognise there are multiple factors involved in how we can tackle this problem. Enforcement is a part of it, but it is not all of it. We need to acknowledge that. However, we want to focus on that aspect in light of the fact that the representatives from An Garda Síochána are before us today.

The Commissioner mentioned that an additional 75 gardaí will be recruited to the road policing unit this year and that the competitions in this regard were advertised in the north-west, eastern and southern regions. He also mentioned that allocations to roads policing units in the Dublin region have already commenced. When will these additional appointments be made? Has An Garda Síochána had the level of interest it would have expected in respect of the competitions advertised?