David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Even though the Deputy does not like me saying that, I will say it anyway. It was closed by the then-Government because of the severe and catastrophic economic crisis that the country was plunged into. The closure of the college and the moratorium imposed at that time has obviously had an impact on numbers in An Garda Síochána and it would be disingenuous to attribute the decline in numbers to anything other than that factor.

See this speech in context