Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too am pleased to speak on the Garda Síochána (Amendment) Bill. In deference to my colleague, Deputy Pringle, I will salute the bravery of the vast majority of gardaí for their integrity since the foundation of the State. I too have had some bad experiences. I could be bitter but I will not tarnish the entire force because of the actions, in my case, of one or two rotten apples. There are many rotten apples but it is a minority of the 13,000 strong force. That is the magic number we have now. I seek clarification from the Minister on whether the total strength includes the Garda Reserve. I believe it does.

I welcome the re-opening of Templemore but this is the second time the Minister has made such an announcement. He revised the original re-opening due to either the Haddington Road agreement or Croke Park II, I do not know which it was. The Minister cannot play politics with the issue. I want Templemore to be opened because it has been closed since 2009. We do not know the size of the intake in 2014 but it will be 2017 before the new recruits are out on the street.

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