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

I thank the Deputy. The role played by members of An Garda Síochána is undoubtedly a challenging and sometimes dangerous one, as I have stressed many times this year. Gardaí leave their homes, families and communities every morning to put themselves in danger. We must acknowledge that. They often encounter adversarial circumstances in their day-to-day work, which can be dispiriting and difficult.

Our communities are well supported by the Garda, which they appreciate. It is important to stress that while there are challenges, the Garda is held in high regard and has the support of all members of the community. That is particularly clear this year, as we mark 100 years of An Garda Síochána. The centenary has given me the opportunity to engage with and meet many different people throughout the country.

I have been struck by the huge amount of pride that there is not just among present members but among past members and indeed in our community about the achievements of An Garda Síochána. It has given us a chance to reflect on the challenges of the last 100 years but also to look at where we are going and how we can address some of the issues that the Deputy has outlined and the challenges that the gardaí themselves face.

There are a number of initiatives that we have put in place which might seem like small things but are important in the grand scheme of things. We put in place a new Garda uniform this year because it is important that the gardaí are comfortable when they are going about and doing their work and are not working in uniforms that are outdated. We have had the expansion of the mobility devices for the frontline. This is to make sure that when gardaí are doing their work they do not have to go back to the station for every single thing they have to input into the system, which makes it more efficient and effective for them. We have a Garda well-being app which is being developed. I meet with the various different representative groups and this is something that continually comes up, whether it is the Garda Representative Association, GRA, or the chiefs and supers making sure there is that support and mental health support for individuals, together with better internal communications and more transparent promotion processes. All these things help to create a better work environment. Of course, it is extremely important to make sure we have more gardaí to take the pressure off those who are under huge pressure at the moment, as is making sure that they have the resources such as cars and appropriate Garda stations. There is much work ongoing. I am not saying that it is not a difficult environment to work in, but we need to keep doing what we can to support them.

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