Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

While I did not hear the Minister give the figure, the number of Garda reservists is in the region of 300. I make the point in the context of the promise and commitment by the then Minister, Mr. McDowell, that there would be 900 Garda reservists in place by 2006. This Minister has been something of a failure. A sizeable town in my constituency, Portlaoise, my home town, has the benefit of one Garda reservist. How can this be, when the Minister states there have been over 2,500 applicants this year?

The Minister recently informed the House that various publicity campaigns are being undertaken to recruit Garda reservists. What do these cost? What is the current cost of the recruitment campaign? What strength does the Minister believe the Garda Reserve will have by the end of this year?

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