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

It is important to be clear that if people sign up to become members of An Garda Síochána, they have signed up to the rules and regulations and have to adhere to them. The Garda Commissioner has been clear about making sure all members of An Garda Síochána understand and adhere to them. If people retire, they are entitled, within the law, to continue working or engaging in an area that they have spent their entire lives working in, in the same way as the Deputy or I would be if we retired. When people retire, the vast majority do not go home, go on holidays and spend their time in their gardens. Many people use the expertise and knowledge they have built up over many years to support communities and to continue to support people in different ways. The report identifies some failures and where the gardaí need to make improvements. The gardaí have accepted that. It is taking longer than we would like to publish it but it will be published before the summer term. The fact the gardaí have already started to implement it and made progress shows that this is not being forced on them. It is something they welcome. As we look to the next 100 years, we want to make sure they are stronger than ever.

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