Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)

I agree with the Deputy regarding the K district in Blanchardstown. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, I went to Blanchardstown Garda station and had the pleasure of meeting the gardaí there. They do excellent work. It is a very demanding and busy station.

The Deputy mentioned that I needed to get involved in directing the Garda Commissioner as to where Garda numbers should go. I will not do that. If I start doing that, it will then become a very politicised system whereby the Garda Commissioner simply responds to where the Minister wants gardaí to go. Where will that lead us in the future, if the Minister or Ministers of State ask for lots of gardaí to be put into their constituencies or to have more? I will not do that. I will leave An Garda Síochána, the Commissioner and the senior staff to make a determined calculation as to where they wish new Garda recruits to go. They are the best-positioned people to determine it and they assess all the factors. Just because a Garda recruit does not come to a station direct from Templemore does not mean that stations such as Blanchardstown do not get people transferred there.

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