Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Ar fud an Stáit, tá an Rialtas ag ligean síos agus ag teip leanaí agus daoine óga le míchumais agus riachtanais speisialta. Níl idirghabhála a d’athródh saolta na bpáistí seo á gcur ar fáil dóibh. Tá na mílte daoine óga le míchumais agus riachtanais speisialta fágtha ar an imeall agus an Rialtas seo ag diúltú seirbhísí dóibh. Inniu, ba mhaith liom cás Harry, gasúr beag naoi mbliana d’aois as Baile Átha Cliath, a ardú leis an Aire.

Across the State, children and young people with disabilities and special needs are being failed. Vital services, such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, are not bring provided to these children. These are life-changing interventions. They are essential if our children are to reach their full potential, to thrive and to participate in their communities. If they are not provided, the quality of life for thousands of children and young people is profoundly affected and can have long-lasting consequences for them.

The HSE is currently reorganising the provision of these therapies. The progressing disability services, PDS, programme is meant to be making things better, but families and teachers on the front line are telling us a very different story, namely, that things are getting worse.

Harry Kirwan, from Dublin, is nine years old. He attends Scoil Mochua, Clondalkin. His teachers describe him as fun loving, always smiling, and a boy who loves being involved in everything that is happening around him. Although Harry is non-verbal, with the aid of his iPad he is very much a real talker. He also has a talent for numbers - a boy with so much potential and so much energy.

Harry has cerebral palsy and a mild-to-moderate intellectual disability and last year, he underwent serious hip surgery. In order to be able to stand and walk again, he needs physiotherapy. Although physiotherapy is available in Scoil Mochua, Harry cannot access this service. His family and teachers have told us that, because of the delay in accessing physiotherapy, Harry may never be able to walk or stand again. Why is this being allowed to happen?

PDS allocates interventions based on a child's home address, not his or her school address. Harry and his family live in the geographic area of community healthcare organisation, CHO, 6 where there are no physiotherapy services available to him but his school is in the area of HSE CHO 7. Despite the fact that there are physiotherapists available in Scoil Mochua, his school, the rules prevent these clinicians from supporting him and as a result, Harry has received no State-supported physiotherapy since his surgery last year. Harry is not alone, not even in his school. There are six children currently being denied services in this school because of this bureaucratic madness. Across the State, there are thousands more. This is nothing short of a scandal.

My question is, how can the Government continue to neglect young children of this nature and how can it be justified? Why is the Government not guaranteeing that all children and young people with disabilities and special needs get the support they need? Why is the HSE denying Harry access to life-altering physiotherapy? The HSE needs to stop the meetings and start treating these children. Parents are telling us that the situation on the ground is worse now than ever before and action is needed. I ask the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, today what will he do to ensure that we have therapists on the ground in each of the CHO areas to provide the vital services that so many children, such as Harry, deserve and so desperately need.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Doherty for raising this important matter. Where I agree with the Deputy is on the commitment that the State must have, and certainly this Government has, to give Harry the best possible start in life, recognising the needs he has and the support he deserves for the journey in life ahead of him.

The Government is committed to putting in places the therapists that are needed to make a difference. We recognise, of course, that in the provision of any therapy services and any social and health supports, particularly for those who have complex needs, there will always be issues. There will always be difficulties but we are committed with the funds that are available to us due to a growing economy to putting in place the supports to help Harry and to help many others.

What Deputy Doherty put to me is, what are we doing in relation to it? What we are doing, through the Health Service Executive, is putting in place a programme that will lead to the reinstatement of 136 whole-time equivalent posts for therapists that has the aim of supporting Harry and all other girls and boys across our country who deserve and need this additional support.

It is the case, as Members may be aware, that, following some engagement with staff representative bodies, the reinstatement process had been temporarily paused but over the weekend, we made further progress in relation to this issue. The HSE will continue with its efforts with a particular focus on special schools and how the right numbers of therapists can be put in place. We recognise that we have a duty to engage with Harry, to engage with his parents and to engage with all other children and parents across the country, while listening to the needs of staff and experts in this area.

The work is now under way to deliver against the 136 additional posts. This is in addition to the 85 posts that were reinstated that were announced in 2021. This work is now under way in three different phases.

For the first phase of it, a degree of reassignment happened with regard to existing HSE staff to prioritise these particular roles being filled. We are now engaging in another process that will take us up to the autumn regarding how another third of these posts, which will be 44 roles, can be filled. What we will do, in parallel to all of this, is put in place the recruitment efforts that are needed to look at how we can provide, in particular, the right physiotherapy posts that can make a difference and the right occupational therapy posts that can make a difference to those who need and who deserve additional support and help. The Government is absolutely committed to doing this.

The latest update that the Government has received from the HSE indicates that out of the 85 posts that were allocated to special schools in 2021, 55 of them have been filled. Progress has been made in filling those 55 roles. More needs to be done to get the additional 30 roles filled, and we will.

Even with the commitment that the Government has and the resources that have been made available to do this work, it is a challenge recruiting the people to do this work and getting the right people in to provide the right level of support. The case that Deputy Doherty has raised is what will remind the Government and give us the commitment that we need to continue with this work in the months ahead.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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I listened to what the Minister said and I am sure Harry's parents will be listening closely to what he said. Let me say that Harry cannot wait until next autumn. Harry had serious hip surgery last year. Harry's family and the school have been engaging with the HSE for a year, to no avail. This is an issue of whether Harry will be able stand and walk again in the future and there is no reason that should not happen with the proper services that have been denied to him for over a year since his surgery.

Harry is a child who loves his school. It is the centre of his universe. The worst thing is that he goes to Scoil Mochua where there is a physiotherapist who can provide the service to him but Harry is being denied it because he lives in a different area from where the school is.

Therefore, he cannot avail of the services that are in the school he attends every day. This is red tape. It is about the future of this child, and not just this child as there are six other children in the school. The parents of 85% of the children referred to Inclusion Ireland's report say they have been waiting more than a year for services. Will the Minister intervene on behalf of Harry and the other children at his school? This can be done quickly. Will he give us a commitment for all of the thousands of other children throughout the State who are being failed?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Doherty for again raising this matter. His reminder that Harry, at such a young age, has already undergone a hip operation, which is such a large and significant operation for a child to go through, and the other six children in the school of course reminds me why it is so important to make the funding available to the HSE, through the work of the Minister for Health, to put in place the right roles and posts to assist these girls and boys in their journey of life. It is because of the duty we have to them. I am very concerned to hear that despite funding being made available to have a physiotherapist in place in the school, young Harry is not in a position to access this or is not allowed to in the way Deputy Doherty has said. The Minister for Health indicated to me in the course of Deputy Doherty raising the matter that he will certainly make contact on this issue to understand why this is happening and to see what can be done to give Harry and his fellow students the start that Deputy Doherty, I and the Government want to make sure they can have.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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It was the Minister who decided the time is right to remove the €500,000 cap on bankers' pay and restore their bumper bonuses. We are told he needs to do this so we can attract good people and the top talent to run our banks. It seems no self-respecting high-flying banker would want to work for a less than €500,000, as if they could not survive on a salary that is more than double that of the Taoiseach. People are feeling a sense of déjà vu. We have all been here before. We were told just before the financial crash that bankers' pay was so enormous because they were employing the very best. It is worth recalling some of those salaries now. In 2006 the former CEO of Bank of Ireland, Brian Goggin, took home a salary just shy of €4 million. The bank subsequently required a €5 billion bailout from the State. Over in AIB just before the crash its CEO, Eugene Sheehy, was on a more modest €2.5 million per year. At the time AIB said its policy when it came to the pay of its senior executives was to "reinforce a high-performance and ethical culture". Is it any wonder that people are sickened by what the Minister is now doing? We know where that high performance and ethical culture ended up. The State, every man, woman and child in the country, spent €21 billion bailing out AIB. More than a decade later we still own 50% of that bank.

The banks' alleged conversion from Gordon Gekko to sackcloth and ashes is pretty hard to swallow, given their treatment of their customers during the tracker mortgage scandal. This year alone, AIB was fined more than €96 million by the Central Bank for its role in inflicting devastating consequences on almost 13,000 households. Meanwhile Bank of Ireland was hit with a record €100 million fine for its role in the scandal that ruined thousands of lives and resulted in the loss of hundreds of homes. That was just two months ago. As if all of this were not bad enough, lifting these restrictions on bonanza pay and bonuses is especially galling, given the cost-of-living crisis that is decimating the incomes of so many working families and workers generally throughout the country. This decision is an insult to those working families. Where is the evidence that the banks have learned any lessons? Does the Minister believe we need to work to achieve an ethical culture in our banks? How does he propose to prevent a return to the destructive ethic that greed is good in our banks and in wider society?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I will begin with the latter question regarding how we propose to get to a culture that is different to the culture to which the Deputy has referred. It is by the steps this and previous Governments have taken with regard to the regulation of our banks. It is about the changes that are fundamental in nature that have happened in the regulation of the banking sector since those awful years, months and days of the global financial crisis. It is the reason that since 2013, the Central Bank of Ireland has had legislation in place on an enhanced fitness and probity regime. This means those in senior roles in our banking system have to go through a very thorough evaluation process and ultimately require the consent of the Central Bank to fulfil particular roles. It is also the reason we require our banking system to hold a very high level of capital to prevent the destructive, harmful, difficult and traumatic consequences of a decade and a half ago and what banking difficulty can do to the rest of our economy.

We now have a banking sector with a fundamentally different regulatory environment to what we had in the years that led to the financial crisis and banking crisis that afflicted our country. This is not to say for a moment there are still not risks and difficulties, because there are. This is one of the reasons I will bring forward legislation on the senior accountability regime on Report Stage. I hope it will be before Dáil Éireann prior to the Christmas recess. It will put in place a further element regarding how individual accountability in our financial sector can be deepened and enhanced to act as a preventative arm for the very risks the Deputy is speaking about developing and, if they do occur, to make sure we have the ability to sanction individuals in addition to the laws that are already in place to do it.

With regard to the Deputy's comments on the banks themselves and the decision I made, she knows that every cent the State had to put in to support and save Bank of Ireland at that point in time has all been got back along with €2 billion more. The decision we made and that I recommended to the Government on the bank cap only applies to a bank in which the State no longer has a share. Of course I appreciate the sensitivity of this decision, given the public hurt and public emotion that has been caused by all of the issues to which the Deputy has referred. We have only three retail banks left in our country. More than 30 banks are present in the economy. None of them are being subject to the pay cap restraints I made the decision to change, while the banks that employ the most Irish people and hold almost €200 million in deposits of Irish people, are subject to them. There are consequences to this and the Government has made a moderate change recognising the risks and difficulties that are there.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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The question is, who in the Minister's ear in terms of advising him on what is an appropriate salary for senior bank officials to be earning? Is he not getting all his advice from insiders and people who have skin in the game? On what basis did he come to the conclusion that paying somebody more than €500,000 a year will achieve a better customer service in our retail banks? On what basis did he come to the conclusion that by paying somebody this grotesque level of income, we would somehow have a more ethical banking system? What is his thinking? The public is finding it very difficult to understand, given the lives that were destroyed, the enormous hardship imposed on so many people in this country and the huge social and economic damage done by our out-of-control banks.

On what basis did the Minister come to the conclusion that this would be good for the country, for Irish business, for banking and, most of all, for the public who have to use our retail banks? What benefits will accrue to ordinary customers and small-scale business people?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I have already answered the Deputy's question. The all-too-real scenario at the heart of the decision the Government contemplated on Tuesday morning is that where a person could be offered a job in either AIB, Bank of Ireland or PTSB, he or she could be looking after the IT systems that are vital to the functioning of our banks. That person will be offered a salary and may even be offered a good salary. However, the vast majority of other banks and organisations will not only match that salary but will offer a bonus and variable pay on top of it. That is the reality in which we are in-----

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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Not everybody is motivated by money.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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-----and the reality I have to a acknowledge in decisions that are being made by the Government. Of course, I have a duty as to how the harm and grave difficulties of the past can be compensated for so those who were hurt and harmed can be recognised in decisions made and that have been made by the over €200 million of fines that have already been levied on our banking sector to deal with the tracker mortgage scandal. In addition to that duty, I also have a duty to allow our banks to compete appropriately with large, international banks in this country, that do not hold our deposits or employ 20,000, and that is the balance the Government is seeking to attain.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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Today, we heard news about fire defects at one of the largest housing developments in the State, the Phoenix Park Racecourse apartment complex. Up to 550 apartments are affected by major deficiencies that could result in a fire racing through the common areas and spreading to other apartments. These are just some of the 100,000 apartments and duplexes around the State that are affected by latent defects. The vast majority of apartments built over the past three decades are affected. People are facing bills of up to €67,500 in some cases, and most are not aware of this yet. More importantly, many are living in unsafe apartments. On "Prime Time" last week, Philip, who lives in the Crescent apartment complex in Park West, spoke about his fear. He lives on the fifth floor and would not be able to make it down in time to escape a fire.

There are multiple potential Grenfell Towers in this country. How did we get here? A big majority of these apartments are unsafe because of a regime of self-certification, first introduced by Fine Gael and passed by Fianna Fáil Governments. This allowed builders just to certify that they had built according to the plan. What is unique in the case of the Phoenix Park Racecourse is that the developer, Flynn and O'Flaherty, is still onsite. The developer has reportedly told affected owners that it sees no basis to get involved and that the cost is on the owners because the apartment blocks were completed approximately 18 years ago. They have washed their hands of it. In some cases, developers are still operating under their then name and in other cases, the developers are still operating but they have just changed their name. In the case of the Crescent Park West, the developer, Harcourt Developments, recently received a major State contract for the redevelopment of the North Quays in Waterford. What will be done to hold these developers responsible for their corner-cutting profit pursuit that has put people's lives at risk? Does the Minister think they should just be allowed to walk away with no consequences for building unsafe homes? Does he agree they should be prosecuted for criminal negligence? Does he agree they should not get any more State contracts? Does he agree the law should be changed so that the Statute of Limitations for civil cases does not start to run until the faults are discovered?

I am in touch with hundreds of residents of apartments and duplexes who are affected. They were all glued to "Prime Time" last week where their story was told, but they were deeply concerned by what the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, said. He repeated, over and over, that the victims of these defects would be given help. They are not looking for help, tax credits or partial compensation. This is not their fault at all. They are looking for recognition. This is the Government's responsibility, as well as the responsibility of the builders and developers. Residents are looking for 100% redress, with the State taking full responsibility while pursuing the developers.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this particularly serious matter for homeowners who are affected by these fire safety risks. I know the homes to which the Deputy refers and I can only imagine the worry and anxiety many different homeowners are facing. They have a right to be concerned about their safety and the safety of the properties that are their homes.

The Government and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, have recognised the scale of this issue and are already working on how the Government can respond to the issues of safety and defects that are growing in scale. There will need to be a Government response. This work is taking two different forms. First, work is underway on how we can reform our building control policy to look at what are the right measures that need to be in place to give us confidence that this will not happen again. The work that is already happening is on how our building control regulations can be amended, the establishment of an national building control office, and under the building works Act of 2022, the regulation of providers and the establishment of a new building standards regulator. This work is happening now and is looking at the issues raised by Deputy Murphy, how we can prevent them from happening in the future and, if they do happen, how we can be clear in our response.

What the Government and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, are committed to is providing full certainty on what the responsibility is in the delivery of homes and buildings, what is the responsibility of those building them, what is the responsibility of those who regulate them and how action will be taken to prevent this happening in the future.

I am conscious that my answers are about how we can deal with this in the time ahead. As to how we respond to the issues in the Phoenix Park and beyond, the Minister brought forward the report of a working group on housing defects last July. This report demonstrated the scale of the issue and risk, and that between 62,500 and 100,000 homes, apartments, duplexes and houses could be affected by this. It was noted in the report that fire safety defects could be the most serious issue. A working group has now been established to respond to the report. I expect the conclusion of the working group will be received shortly and will put in place a national framework for the Government to respond to the huge difficulties raised by Deputy Paul Murphy.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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These developers have and will cost people between €20,000 and €70,000, off-loading responsibility from themselves onto ordinary people who simply cannot afford it. More than that, they have put people's lives at risk by their actions, yet they are still operating and, in some cases, on the same site. How can that be allowed? How are they allowed to wash their hands of it? How can Harcourt Development be receiving massive State contracts, public money, after putting people's lives in danger and facing them with massive bills? The Government needs to act to prevent this and it needs to stop giving State contracts to these developers.

Finally, if the scheme that is presented to the Cabinet before Christmas is anything less than 100% redress, it will not be accepted by residents. The Minister could have a mica-style movement on his hands. One in every 20 homes in the State is affected by this issue. On 14 December, the final Wednesday sitting of the Dáil this year, the Not Our Fault campaign will be outside protesting.

We hope to have seen the outlines by then. If there is not 100% redress, the Government will face a massive campaign on this issue.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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One of the few things of which I am certain is that regardless of what the Government brings forward, it will not be enough for the Deputy.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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If the Government gives 100% redress, it will be enough for me.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy has already decided when the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Government agree proposals in respect of this matter, they will instantly be condemned by the Deputy as insufficient.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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The Minister has my word.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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What the Government------

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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The Minister has my word.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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What the Government is very aware of-----

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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If the Government provides 100% redress, we will accept it.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I reiterate that the Government knows that regardless of what it brings forward, it will be condemned by the Deputy as being insufficient. The Deputy probably already has the tweet written and ready to go. This is a countrywide issue. Because it is a countrywide issue, we recognise that the number of properties affected is serious. Of course, the Deputies on this side of the House also represent the affected communities. All of us have this issue. As a result, we have to realise and recognise that the costs and complexities involved in responding are going to be significant. The Government has already done its very best to offer support to those in the communities that have been affected by mica-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thank you, Minister.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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-----with a commitment of many billions of euro. The Government absolutely appreciates the trauma and anxiety caused by so many to so many as a result of factors with which the latter had nothing to do. We will shortly bring forward a response to the task force on defects in homes. We will do our very best-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thank you, Minister.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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-----to make a meaningful difference to those homeowners who have been affected by such a grave difficulty.

Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent)
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I wish to raise a very important issue with regard to an incident which happened in my hometown of Dundalk. I am sure the Minister is aware that a video showing a cyclist being deliberately knocked off his bicycle in Dundalk by a motorist who recorded the incident has gone viral. You can hear the driver laughing as he deliberately clips the cyclist before speeding away from the scene. The cyclist was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. While the kind-hearted people of Dundalk have set up a GoFundMe account that raised almost €1,000 within hours to help this man, something needs to be done on two fronts with regard to this matter, namely, tackling antisocial behaviour and the use of phones while driving.

Acts of violence and antisocial behaviour are completely unacceptable. I imagine that the Minister is aware of the effects crime and antisocial behaviour can have on the quality of life of all communities. The safety and security of the public in Dundalk are important matters that must be managed. The recruitment of up to 1,000 new Garda members and an additional 400 Garda staff in 2023 and the €2.14 billion allocated in budget 2023 are definitely welcome. I acknowledge the great work done by the Garda in Dundalk and across the north east.

Existing legislation is available to the Garda to tackle antisocial behaviour, including the public order Acts and the reduction-in-assault strategy, which includes advertising on social media with regard to the consequences of perpetrating an assault on another person. However, ongoing enforcement operations must be put in place that are aimed to tackle antisocial behaviour to reassure the public Dundalk is a safe place to live and work. I ask the Minister to give assurances that the Government will address this issue. We have a collective responsibility to make our communities safe for all. What additional measures can the Government introduce to protect the many vulnerable people affected by antisocial behaviour?

I am sure the Minister realises that we need the Garda more than ever. As stated, I welcome the allocation in the budget. However, gardaí are not happy. I have spoken to many gardaí. This week, 92 new members started training in Templemore. Why only 92? The Garda is having serious issues in the context of pay and conditions, pensions, paperwork, rostering and antisocial working hours. In view of recent assaults on gardaí, when will members of the force be trained in the use of body cameras? Gardaí are like everybody else in that they are also suffering on foot of the increase in the cost of living. Members are being told that the only way to get a good pension is to invest in additional voluntary contributions or to be promoted quickly.

When an incident happens, the first people on the scene are gardaí. We have to make sure our gardaí are being looked after and trained properly but there is a bad feeling in the Garda at present. I met many gardaí in the aftermath of the recent incident in Dundalk. I could not believe the level of their frustration. Whether it is the Minister for Justice or some other Minister, can reassurance be given to gardaí that the Government has full faith in them and that they will be given proper training, that they will be protected and that they will have access to the necessary facilities?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the appalling incident in question. My first thoughts go to the cyclist involved. I am sure we all send our hopes and best wishes to the person who was subject to this crime. Our hope is that the person will make a speedy recovery from what looks to have been an appalling incident. The Deputy raised the issue with regard to the commitment of the Government to making a difference in respect of this matter. I can answer his final question directly and state that the Government has full faith in the ability of An Garda Síochána to do all that can be done to keep our roads, streets, towns and cities safe. M constituency of Dublin Central has been afflicted by many of the difficulties to which the Deputy refers. On the happy occasion of the opening of a new primary school in the heart of Seville Place in Sheriff Street by the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, I saw gardaí present there at the heart of the community, emphasising the commitment they have to community safety. This is the very best of An Garda Síochána. What it will get, what it deserves and what the Government will deliver are the resources we can make available to continue with the recruitment plans and the support it needs to make difference when it comes to the behaviour that is so appalling to the Deputy and me.

What will that look like? At the most basic and fundamental level, it will involve the commitment we have to the recruitment of additional gardaí. Our message is clear: 200 more Garda recruits will enter Templemore College every three months. They will enter that college because the biggest difference we can make to the safety of our communities is having gardaí out on the streets and visible in the hearts of our towns and cities. As the Deputy may be aware, the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, is leading a project with regard to how we can support the Garda in tackling antisocial behaviour and what can be done to make a difference to the kind of behaviour that has such an insidious effect in making our communities not feel safe and making them feel unsettled. That is the very issue in respect of which we are committed to make a difference.

I will end on a note with regard to road safety and cyclists, given the incident the Deputy has raised. The Government recognises the importance of this issue. That is why we have a commitment to spend €360 million per year with regard to active travel and greenway projects. To be clear, greenway projects do not make a difference in respect of the issue the Deputy raised, but active travel projects can. As he will be aware, there are four projects under way in his constituency to provide segregated areas for cyclists on our roads. They should not need this space to ensure that the basic obligation of being safe on our roads is met. That is a right they have. Given the issue the Deputy raised, I affirm the position regarding not only the support the Government will give An Garda Síochána but also the funding that is in place to keep our roads as safe as possible for those cycling on them.

Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent)
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Only 92 new members of the force started in Templemore this week. The Minister mentioned a figure of 200. Gardaí are not happy with their pay conditions, pensions, paperwork or rosters. Nearly everybody in this Chamber and outside it has, at some stage, relied on the assistance of the Garda. We in Dundalk have probably relied on their assistance more than most because, in recent years, we had the murders of Adrian Donohoe, Tony Golden and others. However, our gardaí want to know that the Government is behind them. Of all the Ministers I speak to, I really trust the Minster for Finance because he is a man of his word.

I will go back to Dundalk at the weekend and talk to these gardaí. I want the Minister to say that the Government is going to look after them. A number of gardaí were assaulted recently. In that context, body cameras are very important. The Garda wants resources. The cost-of-living crisis is also affecting gardaí. They work unsocial hours and, as far as I can see, they are not being looked after. I ask the Minister to give them the resources and training. If we did not have the gardaí in our area, we would be in a very serious position. I would be in a more serious position than most.

I come from a Border town and, with everything else at the moment, it is good to know that gardaí are there and have reinforcements. To reiterate, I ask the Minister to give confidence to the Garda that he, as Minister for Finance, will look after resources and training for these gardaí.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I understand exactly the issues that the Deputy is raising. When I go into Garda stations in my constituency, in the communities that I am lucky and privileged to represent, including Store Street, Bridewell, Mountjoy, and Cabra Garda stations, I see the immense work they do. They are public servants who are out first thing in the morning and last thing at night, frequently putting themselves on the front line and at risk to keep the rest of us safe. In addition to all of that, they do positive work to look after communities, which I see day after day in Dublin Central. On one hand, they tackle vicious criminals, and on the other hand, they go into schools to promote the standards that matter so much to us. We are doing that. It is because we want to support our gardaí and public servants that the Minister, Deputy McGrath, came to Government while we were grappling with a pandemic and, with the support of Government, said we would put in place a further public wage agreement at a time of great uncertainty in our public finances. That wage agreement was put in place because of the work that our nurses and gardaí do.

I know that when these agreements are put in place, there are always legitimate cases for more wages, changes in pensions and overtime. We appreciate that, but we need resources to provide overtime and for recruitment, while also responding to the needs of pay and pensions Deputy Fitzpatrick referred to. Our message is unambiguous: we will do all we can to support gardaí in the exceptional work they do because of the incidents Deputy Fitzpatrick referred to and the value we all place on the work of An Garda Síochána.