Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 31 March 2022

Public Accounts Committee

2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána

9:30 am

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I can show this in other areas as well. I am drawing the Commissioner's attention to it, as I always do, because he can see there is a trend in population growth and it does not match.

Portlaoise was selected as the location for the divisional headquarters for Laois, Offaly and Kildare. Laois and Offaly combined have 73% of the population that Kildare has. Why was that location selected? Is it because a new station was being built there? Is it because there were personnel there who were going to lead it? It certainly was not done on the basis of population.