Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I respectfully disagree with Deputy Adams. A firm commitment without a date, he says, is irrelevant. The fact is that for the first time the members of An Garda Síochána have access to the State machinery of the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and the Labour Court. This is not a once-off. While it is on an ad hocbasis, it is a sign of commitment and the building of trust between Government and gardaí that this will become a matter of course in any future requirements that gardaí will have in regard to issues that are normally dealt with by the WRC and the Labour Court.

In regard to the issue on Friday, I am reminded that when gardaí come through from Templemore and graduate, they sign an oath in respect of the public participation of what their motto is to the Commissioner of the day. The Commissioner has directed that gardaí would turn up for work on Friday and it is an individual matter and decision for each individual garda, as has been pointed out by the Garda Representative Association, GRA. In the interests of the country, in the interests of the safety of the public and in the interests of the force itself, I hope that this strike and industrial action is averted on Friday.

I do not want to comment on the details of any contingency arrangements, but Deputy Adams should be clear on this. There are contingency arrangements that have been put in place by the Commissioner and senior Garda management, and that is a matter of day-to-day running, but it is difficult to have withdrawn more than 12,500 personnel on any one day and expect the system to operate 100% as one would wish. I hope this can be averted and that it will not happen on Friday.

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