Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the increased budget allocated to the Garda force. Last year the national recruitment target was 800 and I believe that only 460 - just over half - were actually recruited into the force. As I said, there are fewer gardaí in the Cavan-Monaghan division since 2016. Also, the population has increased in both counties since then. In Cavan, the population has increased by more than 5,000 and, in Monaghan, by more than 3,500. There are an extra 8,500 people in the two counties and yet we have fewer gardaí.

What is most concerning is the number of resignations, which have increased substantially over the years. We had 104 last year and 12 in January of this year, which is half the number who resigned in 2016. Has the Minister of State explored the reasons behind the high number of gardaí who are leaving the force, not as a result of retirement but as a result of resignations?

See this speech in context