Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)

Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Garda Kevin Flatley as we deal with issues in relation to the number of gardaí. It is clear that despite the high-profile recruitment process, there has been no significant increase in the number of gardaí who will be trained. The current Garda Commissioner dismissed the claim by the Government that 1,000 would be trained this year, pointing out that the maximum that could be trained is 800. The Minister vocally endorsed the recruitment campaign earlier this year. Is it fair to say it is not down to a lack of applications - 6,700 or so - but a lack of capacity to train more gardaí? What are the Government's plans to ensure more than 800 gardaí can be trained a year? We are all aware of the retention issue. Has there been an analysis or any moves to ensure as many gardaí as possible are maintained?

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