Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I absolutely agree. Reflecting on the last number of years, there is a perception that urban environments are not as safe as they once were. I refer to the centres of different cities. That is the perception in Cork, although it is a beautiful city with a beautiful city centre and there are continuous improvements to the public realm. I believe people are specifically talking about the city centre at particular parts of the night and different times of the day. I have spoken to traders who have witnessed an improvement of late. There has been an additional Garda presence. We need more gardaí deployed across the country, including in the south and Cork, as they leave Templemore. Additional resources for the improvement of the public realm are also needed. These have been provided. Substantial investment has been allocated to Cork City Council in respect of the public realm in the city. We also need to reimagine city centres. We need more residential accommodation in city centres. That will inherently improve security. That is part of this agenda.

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