Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Garda Representative Association, GRA, has started its protest against roster changes that are due to kick in from next month. This action sees gardaí refusing voluntary overtime. It is an escalation in a dispute that has deepened and intensified over the past year. It is very concerning that matters have come to this point. I have no doubt the public is very alarmed at this turn of events.

Morale within An Garda Síochána is at a really low ebb as members try to keep our communities safe at a time when policing resources have been significantly depleted. Garda numbers are falling as officers leave the ranks. Targets for recruitment are missed again and again because not enough people are attracted to a career in An Garda Síochána. It is a cycle created by more than a decade of underinvestment, under-resourcing and a lack of prioritisation from the Government. All of this has fostered a climate of real pressure and real stress.

Dialogue and negotiation, which were strained, have now collapsed and those at the table have stopped listening to each other. Distrust has set in, and this distrust is the greatest barrier to getting the right result in this situation. What we need now are calm heads and leadership. We need a Garda roster that works and will ensure the functioning of an effective, responsive police force that creates safe working conditions for front-line gardaí. Of course, for any Garda roster to work in these times, it has to take account of officers' family and caring responsibilities, the growing and understandable demand for greater work-life balance and the need to avoid burnout. I am certain these issues loom large for rank-and-file gardaí and they must also loom large for the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice.

There needs to be a reset, a mending of relationships and trust, a repairing of communication and a real ambition to engage in good-faith negotiation. While operational matters are for the Garda Commissioner, it is also the responsibility of the Minister for Justice to provide leadership and a renewed impetus when a crisis point is reached. Clearly, we are at a crisis point. Standing back from the situation will not assist in achieving a successful resolution. We now need leadership. That includes an action plan from the Government to fix the crisis. We need the biggest ever Garda recruitment drive. We need to ensure we have the conditions to retain gardaí, which means getting rostering right and also getting resourcing right. One practical measure would be a doubling of the Garda training allowance to make training as a garda more affordable and more achievable for young people. I urge the Taoiseach to provide significant investment in next week's budget.

Le rannpháirtíocht agus ceannaireacht athnuaite, is féidir linn uainchláir an Gharda a shocrú a oibríonn. Ní féidir leis an Aire Dlí agus Cirt seasamh siar ón gcás. Caithfidh an tAire, an Teachta McEntee, agus an Rialtas a bheith dáiríre chun an t-easaontas seo a réiteach. With renewed engagement, dialogue and leadership, we can get a Garda roster that works. This is not a time for people to dig in and become entrenched. It is a time for renewed focus on solutions and progress. Will the Taoiseach update us on the Minister's plan to prevent further escalation of the dispute and to deliver a successful outcome? What is the Taoiseach's role in this Government plan?

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