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

To the Deputy's last point, it has been made clear to me that anybody who is coming from a separate jurisdiction, whether in the outer part of Dublin, a rural community or a county outside Dublin, is doing so in his or her own free time. I know there is a concern that an increased presence in the city centre is taking away from other areas. If gardaí are coming from counties Mayo, Waterford or Donegal, they are doing so in their spare time. We need to make sure of the overall numbers and ensure that not everybody is going to Dublin. While a large number of those coming out of the Garda College will go to Dublin, it will allow for others to be freed up to transfer out of the city. There will, of course, also be numbers who are allocated to areas other than Dublin city centre. Some 150 new gardaí will come out of the college this week. I anticipate a significant number of them will go to Dublin but others will be spread right across the country. It is about getting the overall numbers up. We are doing everything we can, and I am doing everything I can, to provide funding where there is a requirement for additional resources or any other type of equipment that gardaí might need.

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