Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Will there be five intakes this year or next year in the Garda College? He might also indicate if there are plans to increase the capacity to allow intakes of 250 trainees.

Has the Minister examined the impact of the rate of payment of the Garda training allowance? We know there was an increase but where the very changes he has referred to in the age profile of those joining the gardaí are concerned and how older people generally have more financial commitments, we are told by the representative organisations that the training allowance is still not sufficient to capture people in that demographic. If the Minister is looking for an idea, there is one off the bat - increase the training allowance, increase the intake numbers permitted and ensure we go beyond increasing not just the number of applications. We need the number of gardaí to increase.

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