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

I met the Garda Commissioner and her team last Monday. I also met the chairperson of the Policing Authority and I have articulated my very serious concerns over the past week to her and in general about the extent of the road traffic enforcement issues highlighted by An Garda Síochána and the significant numbers involved. I am also very concerned about the confidence issues the public has in respect of An Garda Síochána. It is critical that confidence is restored. We depend on An Garda Síochána for the security of this State and to police it. Over the decades, it has faced many challenging issues of law and order. Many members of the public have interacted and will interact with An Garda Síochána in the context of road traffic enforcement. I also think today of the victims of road traffic accidents. One of the very disturbing points that has emerged as a result of this audit is that the number of people drinking and driving is double what we thought it was. There is an even greater challenge in respect of enforcement and dealing with that issue than we were aware of, although we were all concerned about that issue.

See this speech in context