Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I received a submission from the Commissioner with his proposals on the functioning of the reserve. That sets out in extenso his view of the powers that the reserve force should have. It is not his function to determine these matters, but rather a question for the Government to make an order. I intend to consult with the joint committee on these issues before we arrive at a final position.

I originally spoke of a ratio of 1:10, which means there would be about 1,400 members of the reserve force. The Garda organisation development unit was working on that basis in early 2005. Different views have been expressed since then. Deputy O'Keeffe suggested 5,000.

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