Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that since the 2020 report from an coimisinéir, An Garda Síochána has engaged a bit more. However, there are major fault lines in the organisation's approach. Its representatives have been before my committee with the Department of Justice on several occasions due to the outworkings of the rowing back on the Irish language with respect to the minimum standards and the level required for a Garda member to progress to being a sergeant. One of the reasons there is frustration among people is this is being addressed through management rather than law or ministerial regulation and, consequently, An Garda Síochána is starting to slip again. This is a problem that was identified way back in 1925 when a census was done of Gaeltacht areas. One of the outcomes of that was recognition of the need for sufficient members of An Garda Síochána able to interact with the community they were placed in. People have many languages nowadays and the vast majority of people on this island have English. That does not necessarily mean they are always comfortable using the English language when engaging with officialdom and, in some instances, they may prefer to interact with the services of An Garda Síochána in their native language, which in Gaeltacht areas, in the main, is an Ghaeilge.

Níl mé chun an leasú seo a tharraingt siar ag an staid seo. Tá mé ag iarraidh go gcuirfear é chun vóta le cinnte a dhéanamh de go dtuigtear cé chomh dáiríre is atá mé faoi seo agus cé chomh dáiríre is atá siúd a d’iarr orm an cheist seo a chur chun cinn sa bhealach seo seachas a bheith ag braith ar bhainistíocht an Gharda Síochána atá tar éis teipeadh go dtí seo le déileáil le seo i mbealach atá ceart nó sa bhealach gur chóir dóibh.