Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I note that 300 recruits have already started their training while 250 more will enter the Garda College over the coming months. That is 550 in total, which is right. The country needs to see those new recruits being brought in. I promised seamless ongoing recruitment and that is what I am delivering. Our communities need to see more gardaí providing a visible, responsive presence and a deterrent to crime. Similarly, the Government has invested €27.5 million in new Garda vehicles since 2012, marking a massive increase on the €4.5 million provided for in budgets 2009 to 2011. The latest 370 new Garda vehicles have begun coming on stream since the start of this year. These new vehicles are vital in ensuring gardaí are mobile, responsive and visible in the community as well as being critical to supporting the work of the Traffic Corps and national units. That is really important. In addition, I announced yesterday a further specific investment of approximately €700,000 for new specialised vehicles to support an enhanced operational response by gardaí to current and emerging crime threats, including crimes being committed by highly-mobile gangs. That is very important too.

We have invested €42 million in the new Garda divisional headquarters in Galway, Wexford and Kevin Street, Dublin. We have also put money into ICT. It is hard to believe that during all the years of the Celtic tiger, this investment in ICT did not take place. We continue to have outdated paper practices. It is unbelievable to see it in Garda stations around the country. How could it have happened during the whole period of the Celtic tiger that the ICT needs of An Garda Síochána were not dealt with? There was never a comprehensive plan.

See this speech in context