Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledged the work the Garda does in our communities keeping people and our communities safe, and particularly in regard to the operation in the south during the week. However, Government needs to support that. The facts are very clear. Since this Government has been in office, every single year, there has been a reduction in the number of gardaí in this State.

The Tánaiste talked about the number of people who are going through training and attestation, but he did not say that the numbers leaving the Garda are actually higher than the numbers coming through. Every year, the situation is getting worse. We have more people either retiring or leaving. The number resigning is at an all-time high as a result of issues with morale within the Garda. The Tánaiste spoke about the commission's recommendations; they are five years old. Many of the recommendations are not in place. There are major issues here and the Government has not supported or provided the necessary tools for the Garda.

The reality, as we see from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, data, is that crime is on the increase and communities feel less safe than they did before. The Government needs to recognise that 12 years of Fine Gael Ministers for Justice has resulted in the situation we are in now. We had 241 fewer gardaí in June than we did at the start of the year.

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