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

Deputy Casey makes the case for Wicklow very well. Obviously, I will follow that issue up and I will communicate with him directly on the last issue he raised. I have no doubt that the police force in his area will make headquarters aware of the need for the area. The Garda Commissioner has to examine the different needs in different areas. We have to become more flexible about the allocation of gardaí from different parts of the country. There are areas of high need such as those in urban areas - and we know there are also issues in rural areas - but the allocation must be made on a proper assessment of the needs of a given area. This is why we asked the Garda Inspectorate to look at that issue also. In the meantime, on a day-to-day basis, the Garda Commissioner has to get on with making decisions about where recruits are most needed when they first come out and where they would be best positioned. I take the points made by Deputy Casey.

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