Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

They have been successful and there is significant interest among the general public, with over 2,800 having applied. I understand that only approximately one in ten of the applicants comes through the examination, for various reasons. For example, when they enter the process, some find it is a little more onerous than expected and others feel they may not be able to marry the reserve with their existing job. An interesting figure which we should welcome shows that, to date, 20 of the 27 gardaí who have left the reserve did so to become full-time gardaí, which shows a clear adherence to the issue of trying to look after our communities. The duties they perform——

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