Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

The figures are from between 2003 and 2006 and I acknowledge that random testing has been introduced since then. However, the key point is that while the Garda traffic corps is dedicated primarily to traffic duties, it is not solely employed for that purpose and given the cutbacks in Garda overtime gardaí are not as available as they would like to be, especially at weekends when much overtime needs to be done, particularly late at night. Will the Minister contact his colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, about this issue? I cannot get the facts from him in reply to a parliamentary question on the figure for overtime in the Garda traffic corps. While acknowledging the improvements that have come about, the issue is a serious one and everyone wants to see more compliance and regular testing.

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