Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If enough money is available, it should not be the case in any national system that a declaration of this nature, with so many implications, is made. Did the Garda inform the Department of Justice and Equality that it intended to make this announcement to all gardaí across the country? Surely proper planning would dictate that something like this should not occur at this time of the year. I have a key question. Is the assistant commissioner aware that a Supplementary Estimate is coming before a Dáil committee tomorrow? Has the assistant commissioner already factored in that figure when considering the operational budgets of the force? Has the Garda, even with the knowledge of what it is going to get tomorrow, decided that an overtime ban will be needed in any event? I would like an answer to that question.

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