Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Ó Murchú. While I am not aware of the specific details, I join the Deputy in sending my best wishes to that member of An Garda Síochána. As the Deputy says, all of these incidents are harsh and real reminders of the dangers that gardaí face when they put themselves in harm's way to keep the rest of us safe. I am very grateful to all members of An Garda Síochána for their service.

I am a big fan of the community safety partnerships for the reasons the Deputy has outlined. They bring everybody together and recognise that while gardaí have a role to play, so too do the councils, the HSE and lots of other parts of society. They involve pulling everyone together to draw up a plan to make communities safer and to have that buy-in is important. I will ask the Minister for Justice to reflect on the particular comments Deputy Ó Murchú made today in relation to Louth, the membership and that interim gap and to respond to him directly.

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