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

The Deputy touched on a number of issues. Our gardaí are highly skilled and they are sought in many different fields, as the Deputy said. As we move to a situation where we have specific teams and units, such as in the Garda National Immigration Bureau, GNIB, fraud or domestic violence, they become more skilled and expert in their area and it is only natural that people will try to take them from us. The numbers of people who have not just retired but who have moved away have been somewhat steady. To compare last year's figures to those in 2018, it was an increase of approximately nine. We did, therefore, see a slight increase in people leaving post-Covid-19. This is natural because there were many changes and pressures on An Garda Síochána.

Again, this comes back to making sure that we put the right structures, the right resources and the right environment in place. It is a matter of making sure that they are part of the most recent pay deal, which I am pleased that they were so they can also see an increase in their pay for the work that they are doing. It is again a matter of supporting them and I mentioned some of the resources earlier, such as body-worn cameras and making sure that we are keeping them safe when they go about what is a very dangerous job.

When it comes to stations, I have been in Templemore recently. Thankfully, I had a chance this year - I did not have it previously because of Covid-19 - to meet the new recruits. They do send new recruits to stations outside of their own hometown so that they are not starting off in their own hometown. Sometimes, it might take bit longer to get back home but obviously there are options available to gardaí to seek to transfer. It does depend on who is needed where and what is happening in the station. Obviously, it is a role for An Garda Síochána to determine that, and not for me.

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