Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I said earlier, Covid-19 had an impact on recruitment more generally. We need more gardaí and we need them more quickly. Recruitment has increased significantly over the past two years. Over the next number of years, there will have to be significant and substantial recruitment of members of the Garda to ensure the requisite number of gardaí are in towns the length and breadth of the country and not just in the major cities. That is an issue, and I acknowledge it as an issue. It was not for the want of investment over the past number of years. The impact of Covid has been quite far-reaching.

See this speech in context