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

On a Dublin allowance, I do not think that could be applied to gardaí on their own. Deputy Ó Ríordáin reflected that it would have to apply across the board. It is something that we have looked at, which is not to say there are not challenges with it. How do we decide who gets it? If somebody is working in Dublin but living in the commuter area, do we put a parameter around that? What would the allowance be? If prices increase in other counties, how would that then apply? Should it apply only to gardaí, nurses and teachers? There is a challenge in that I could not decide who should get it beyond gardaí and also regarding what the parameters would be and how we would set them. There are a number of challenges. That is not to say that the matter has not been looked at but it is not straightforward. The allowance would have to apply across a number of different professions and there is a challenge in identifying them.

There are other ways in which we can try to address some of the challenges gardaí face. It is about financial measures, structures, engagement and making sure that where issues arise, they can be communicated. I cannot speak on behalf of management but as regards rank-and-file gardaí working with their seniors, the representative organisations and the Garda Commissioner, those lines of communication need to be kept open at all times, which I know they are. For my part, it is my number one objective to make sure gardaí at every single level have exactly what they need, not just to do their job but to feel safe and happy in the work they do.

See this speech in context