Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. He and I differ as regards the Government's policy on Garda recruitment. We have had many a disagreement in the House on this matter, but this event demonstrates the need for the Minister to give the public some direction as to when the Government will recommence the recruitment and training of new members of the Garda Síochána. We must bear in mind the fact that it takes two years to train new members and that up to 1,200 members could retire during the next 12 months. The force's numbers are dwindling.

It is also worth noting that Limerick has the highest ratio of gardaí to population. That decision has been borne out by the successes. If one could increase the ratio across the rest of the country, including Dublin, the same kind of results would be yielded.

The Minister stated that the community needed to support the Garda. I could not agree more. Nine individuals were arrested in Limerick at the time of the Alan Ryan funeral. These arrests apparently led to the information that foiled the attempt in question. Sinn Féin's spokesperson in Limerick stated at the time it seemed to be an overreaction and that it was disgraceful if people were being arrested for attending a funeral. It is disgraceful that Sinn Féin is sitting in this Parliament and sitting in government in the North at a time when some of its MLAs are protesting outside the PSNI headquarters because a member of that party, Mr. Padraic Wilson, had been brought in for interrogation. It is conducting a two-faced strategy.

We must have some political honesty on the question of why certain people within the Sinn Féin leadership and the Sinn Féin movement, in Limerick and throughout the country, are affording a degree of political respectability to these criminals.

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