Alan Farrell (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Commissioner and her team for coming before the joint committee again. I am pleased to have them here. Not surprisingly, I have a number of questions, but I will limit them to three, as requested, and will do my best not to make any statement.

I emphasise how important it is for the committee to have an opportunity to liaise with the Garda Commissioner on Garda operational matters, in particular the transformation programme outlined by her. I appreciate the opportunity to go through it with her. I am keen to address three points, the most important of which touched on by the Commissioner was related to the improvements in and the enlargement of An Garda Síochána, in particular with regard to the numbers of personnel and Garda vehicles and technology, as well as the importance of the Department providing the Garda with sufficient resources to provide a modern and efficient service throughout the State. The Commissioner gave specific figures, including 550 new gardaí this year and 600 thereafter, with a net increase of approximately 300 per annum.

I have a specific question about the deployment model used. I trust the Commissioner received notice of this question in advance. I do not necessarily wish to inquire about the ins and outs of the matter as I appreciate some aspects of the models are probably sensitive. The question relates to crimes being reported on the station network and whether this is at the core of the deployment model. The Commissioner referred to socioeconomic factors, as well as a number of others. Will she drill down into them and provide more detail on what Oireachtas Members can expect to see happen as An Garda Síochána enlarges in the coming years, with a particular emphasis on stations that have seen significant reductions in personnel? There has been an increase in the number of Garda vehicles, with over 600 additional vehicles this year, as well as the rapid deployment of the armed regional response unit. The Commissioner referred to these changes. Obviously, they are important aspects in providing the force with the modern tools it needs to provide a reasonable service.