Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate where the Deputy is coming from in putting forward this amendment, but my role as Minister is to support the Garda and the Garda Commissioner in carrying out their functions. Even though it is clear that all members of An Garda Síochána are required to be proficient in Irish, there is a potential in passing the amendment that in some way we would be tying the Commissioner's hands where very specific resources are required in a particular area at a particular time. That is certainly not something I want to do, but I appreciate that perhaps this is an issue that needs to be addressed. The Garda Commissioner is the best person to be able to do that. It is an issue I will raise with him. I intend to meet with him in the coming days, and I commit to raising this concern with him. Given the fact that he is aware of the issue and has given a commitment to try to address it, we must allow him the time and space to do that.

I accept that Deputy Connolly indicated the report is on the desk for ten years, but the Garda Commissioner has not been in his post for ten years and the issue was only recently raised with him at a committee meeting. We must give him time and space to respond and do what he said he would do. Insofar as possible, where it is practicable, every effort is made to make sure that gardaí who are in a Gaeltacht area are proficient in Irish and that they are able to provide a service in the Irish language to those who require it who are legally entitled to receive it. I appreciate that is not always the case, but every effort is made to try to ensure that happens.

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