Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I remind the Deputy that the current numbers within the Garda Síochána are 13,450. On average, some 300 to 350 gardaí retire every year. It is always the case that the number of gardaí in a given year who have completed 30 years of service and for whom the option is available to retire is larger than the number who actually retire in that year. The Deputy is hawking around the fact that 1,200 members of the force are eligible to retire next year without any acknowledgement that while there was probably a similar number eligible to retire in preceding years, the number who did in fact retire was nowhere near that number. A considerable portion of the 1,200 gardaí eligible for retirement next year enjoy their work and want to remain in the force. I have no doubt they will still be in the Garda Síochána in 2014, never mind 2013. The Deputy should not seek to mislead people in this regard.

An issue on which he and I are agreed is that the Garda Síochána is doing an extraordinary job in targeting people engaged in subversion. Tragically, there is still a number of groups on this island intent on murder and mayhem. Some of them are masquerading as political groupings while engaged in substantial criminality. I assure the Deputy that the Garda will continue to target such groups and, where appropriate, to arrest individuals. Moreover, where there is evidence, individuals will be taken before the courts and prosecutions will ensue as appropriate. There should be no doubt that these matters will be dealt with properly before the courts.

See this speech in context