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

The Deputy is right, in that the figures show that many gardaí from recent intakes have gone to Dublin, particularly when there has been a greater need. What we do not see in those figures is that transfers are now taking place, with some gardaí based in Dublin transferring out to other counties. The figures show one or two going directly from Templemore to those counties, but I understand that transfers have started to open up. This is positive. The more gardaí we have, the more we can have that flexibility within the organisation.

The Deputy asked about attestation. I did not get to that. Currently, three classes are in training in the college. They entered last year and are expected to attest in March, June and September of this year. The class that starts in April will attest next year. I expect that the number attesting this year will be between 600 and 700, but if we can get more starting in the intakes this year, we will likely see between 800 and 1,000 attestations next year. Attestations run a year behind new classes. Overall, the trend is moving in a positive direction. Numbers in our classes are increasing. That we had 6,300 apply in the recent campaign shows it is a profession of which people want to be a part.

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