James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that we do not have as many gardaí as we need, but significant efforts are being made to address this. We have had a very large increase in the number of recruits coming through Templemore.

Regarding safety in rural Ireland, the national rural safety forum was established in 2019. In 2022, we published the national rural safety plan. Yesterday, I met the deputy president of the IFA, Alice Doyle, and the assistant Garda commissioner, Paula Hilman, to discuss how we can reinvigorate the national rural safety forum and implement its proposals. This forum is jointly chaired by the IFA and An Garda Síochána and has a very broad membership.

Regarding designating gardaí as points of contact, it is a matter for the Garda Commissioner as to how he deploys gardaí and what roles he wants to give them. However, I will convey the Deputy's concerns to the Commissioner.

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