Mr. Jack Nolan:

Deputy Ó Cuív asked whether there is an incentive for people to live in local areas. I will attempt to answer that question. There is really no incentive to live in a particular area. Families and people are inclined to move towards areas where there are good schools and better opportunities for employment for their children etc. Outside the Gaeltacht allowance for service in the Gaeltacht areas, there is no living allowance, as such. A rent allowance is paid to members of An Garda Síochána to support rental and accommodation costs. As members are aware, that is another issue within the context of the industrial relations situation that was briefly referred to earlier. As such, there is no allowance to encourage a garda to reside in a particular rural area.