Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will raise a point of order. I say this with the greatest respect for the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, and it is not any reflection on him. He is doing the job he has been asked to do but it was the custom - I acknowledge this is the general responsibility of the Office of the Ceann Comhairle - that where a Minister or Minister of State from the relevant Department was not available, the Deputy would be asked if he or she wanted to proceed. The first I learned of someone from the relevant Department not being available to take this question was now, as I stand here. That is not right and I might have decided to postpone. I would like this to be conveyed to the Ceann Comhairle.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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I will point out to Deputy Ó Laoghaire that the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, was here and the Deputy was not.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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That is a very different point.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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The Deputy has made his point.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is not against the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, it is against the Department and its failure to provide a relevant spokesperson.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Ar aghaidh leat.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is important to make the point.

I will set the context first. The small numbers coming to the Cork city division from Templemore from each cohort has been a source of significant contention in Cork for a considerable number of years. On some occasions it has been as little as one, on others two or three and sometimes it has been none. On one recent occasion there was an increase comprising 11 individuals, as against the 96 members who went to the Dublin division.

In the most extreme example I came across, from December 2023, 115 gardaí went to the Dublin division while only one came to the Cork city division. I am aware Cork city is smaller than Dublin city but it is not 115 times smaller than Dublin city by any manner or means. We have challenges in the city. In recent months, we have had some serious issues relating to arson, serious assaults and public order issues. We have a situation now where the city centre Anglesea Street Garda station, which is the largest Garda station and the divisional headquarters, was reduced by 26 gardaí in 2024. This meant the main Garda station - the biggest Garda station in Cork city - lost one garda a fortnight in 2024. The Minister of State will agree that is a very serious situation.

The city division as a whole has seen such pressure on resources that Garda management has come to a decision that four Garda stations are effectively going to be combined into two. The Bishopstone and Ballincollig units are effectively going to function as one unit and Carrigaline and Douglas are going to function as one unit. The Minister of State lives not too far away from Cork. I am sure he knows some of these places and has a sense of how big they are. Douglas and Carrigaline, for example, are two places that have two, what should be substantial Garda stations, are being combined. For half of the month the Garda members are sent to Douglas and for half the month they are sent to Carrigaline. Carrigaline has almost 20,000 people in itself and probably 30,000 if the outlying area is taken in. Douglas has approximately 40,000 people. Similarly, Ballincollig has probably 30,000 in the outlying area and Bishopstown has 15,000 or something like that. These are huge areas. We are talking about one unit being responsible for Bishopstown, Ballincollig, Carrigaline and Douglas. There is significant concern. These are big areas with a growing population. What is actually happening is that the Garda numbers are falling back.

The Minister of State is going to reply that the Garda Commissioner has responsibility for this. However, I would urge him to listen. Dublin undoubtedly has policing challenges that need to be responded to. The Government needs to ensure, and I am sure the Minister of State will agree with this, that the rest of the country, and I am speaking for Cork, needs to get a fair shake. We are not getting a fair shake. It is leading to this very serious reduction in service. People are concerned about the implications for their communities.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for his work in this regard. The Minister was in Cork last Friday and received briefings from senior members of An Garda Síochána. I assure the Deputy that the Minister and the Government are resolute in its support of An Garda Síochána. We want to build safe and secure communities, and a well-resourced policing service is critical to achieving that. In budget 2025, an unprecedented sum of €2.48 billion was allocated, which is allowing for sustained investment in recruitment, technology and equipment.

The Garda Commissioner is responsible for operational matters, as the Deputy rightly said, policing decisions including the distribution and allocation of Garda members and resources between the various Garda stations and divisions. The Minister has no role in these decisions and cannot direct the Commissioner or An Garda Síochána to allocate Garda members to certain Garda divisions or stations. However, he would like to assure the Deputy that the Garda Commissioner and his management team keep the distribution of Garda members and resources under constant review.

Garda management take operational needs into account and consult closely with local management in each division. Consideration is also given to commitments and undertakings outlined in the annual policing plan and priorities as determined in delivering a policing service for the future.

As of 31 January 2025, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 1,282 Garda members assigned to Cork with 616 Garda members assigned to Cork county and 666 assigned to Cork city. As of the same date, 21 Garda members were assigned to Carrigaline Garda station, 23 to Douglas, 19 to Bishopstown and 50 to Ballincollig. In addition, as of 31 January 2025, there were 226 Garda staff assigned to Cork. Garda staff work alongside Garda members to carry out vital roles in the organisation to increase the availability of gardaí to focus on important front-line duties.

Increasing Garda visibility is a priority for the Minister and it is important to note that An Garda Síochána do not police on a station basis. Policing for an area is delivered using all resources in a community engagement area and supported by divisional resources and units.

This approach is supported by the revised Garda operating model. Under the model, Cork north division and Cork west division have merged to form Cork county division since August 2024. The model was introduced after recommendations from the Garda Síochána Inspectorate and the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, and based on feedback from gardaí of all ranks. The model, coupled with some realignment of responsibilities, will help to deliver a consistent community-focused policing service and allows local gardaí to draw upon specialised services available from the divisional-based units.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I appreciate that. I will make a couple of points and I hope the Minister of State will take as much of this as possible back to the Minister. I welcome the fact that the Minister was in Cork recently. I understand he also met the chamber of commerce and that is a good thing. It is important that the Commissioner meets with public representatives in Cork. The business organisations in Cork make the point that we are all very keen for the city centre to be a place in which people can live, socialise and work. One of the issues for business organisations and for the people of Cork as a whole is the Garda presence in the city centre. It is coming up at that level. I hope that the Minister of State listened to that very carefully.

There is a wider issue with recruitment to An Garda Síochána as a whole. I am concerned that the number of gardaí this year will potentially decrease because of retirements and that needs to be addressed.

Not policing on a station basis and ensuring policing is delivered by all resources came up at a community safety meeting recently. The amount of resource keeps getting thinner and thinner, as was the case when there were units in Carrigaline and Douglas. If the car in Carrigaline was busy responding to an incident, for example, in Crosshaven, the car from Douglas would come up. If there is now only one car between them, and if that car is responding to an incident, then a car has to attend from somewhere else. There is no miracle of the loaves and fishes here. Just because policing is fluid and moves from station to station, if there are fewer units, and that is fundamentally what we are talking about, and four units are reduced to two with one unit covering an area with 50,000 or 60,000 people, which is effectively the size of a small county, at night, that is not good enough. I would be concerned that there are going to be situations where gardaí will not be able to respond to two serious incidents that happen within their unit area, which is effectively two station areas, at the same time. That is the concern that people have. The Garda Commissioner needs to take this seriously and I urge the Minister for Justice to take it up with him.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy again on behalf of the Minister for raising this matter.

The Minister's first priority is to get more Garda members on our streets, including through increased recruitment. As we see more people join the organisation, we will see more gardaí on the streets of our towns and villages throughout the country and of course in County Cork and in Cork city and all the surrounding towns. In 2024, 36 probation gardaí were allocated to Cork. The Minister was delighted to bear witness to 149 new recruits passing out at Templemore on 7 March last, seven of whom were assigned to Cork. The Deputy might say that is not enough. Again, I will remind him that the Government is steadfast in its support of An Garda Síochána. The financial input that has been put into the workings of An Garda Síochána shows that commitment. I thank the Deputy again for raising this matter and for being so strong and vocal on behalf of his constituents.