Results 201-220 of 11,287 for speaker:Matt Carthy
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: Fáilte roimh uilig go léir. I have no recorded apologies at this time. I remind members to turn off their mobile phones or switch them to flight mode. The purpose of the meeting is to have an engagement with the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, on policing matters. While we intend the engagement to focus on policing generally, we have also asked the Commissioner and his team...
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: Go raibh maith agat. Before I open the floor to members, the Commissioner's own tenure in his post is coming to an end. We wish him well in his retirement and in whatever he does next. Is it a concern to him that, to use the euphemism, people do not appear to be lining up to replace him? One media article I saw stated that none of the serving assistant commissioners, who have spent their...
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: Is the Commissioner aware of who will be on it?
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: I am conscious many members wish to contribute, so I will only ask one question now. A key part of why we have the Commissioner here concerns recruitment and retention of members of An Garda Síochána. He mentioned a further cohort of gardaí passed out last week and that there were 6,700 applications. The information I saw indicated that about 120 people passed out last week.
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: The information this committee had received previously, however, was that each intake has a capacity of 200. This would suggest there is a gap of 80. When we consider there is apparently no issue in terms of applications being received, is there any particular reason there was that gap last week?
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: Where is the blockage? The figures I have show that when the Commissioner came on board, there were around 13,900 gardaí. We are now at 14,200, which is significantly less than at the beginning of Covid. The Commissioner is acknowledging essentially that there is a problem with the process from when someone joins to him or her becoming formalised as a garda. Whose fault is it that we...
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: I thank the Commissioner for that response. I ask members to try to limit their interactions to under seven minutes in order that we can allow a second round of questions, if necessary. Deputy Gannon will speak first, followed by Senator Gallagher and then Deputy Kelly. I will take the other speakers thereafter.
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: I ask Deputy Gannon to keep it to one minute. I will come back to him in the second round.
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: I concur in respect of the divisional model. There is no logical way that you could put urban Dundalk in the same policing framework as rural Belturbet or other parts of Cavan and Monaghan. I concur with that. The purpose of the operating model has been described as being intended to enhance the service the Garda provide to the public. As I am sure the Commissioner is aware, if we had...
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: I might let the Commissioner come back to that. I call Deputy Kelly. He will be followed by Senator Ruane.
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: I remind the Deputy about mentioning the names of people who are not Members of the House.
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: Very briefly, please.
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: In fairness, the Commissioner answered twice and has indicated that he will correspond with the committee.
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: I ask the witnesses to keep their responses as brief as possible.
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: I will let the Senator back in later. Deputy Brabazon is next, followed by Senator Kelleher.
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: I thank the Commissioner and Deputy Brabazon. Before I move on, on a related matter, there were a number of reports that some regions do not have a sufficient number of trained or adequately trained gardaí who could engage in the high-speed pursuit of a vehicle. Is the Commissioner satisfied this issue has been resolved?
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: In real time, how long does it take to do the analysis required to give clearance to gardaí to pursue?
- Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: An Garda Síochána (10 Jun 2025)
Matt Carthy: Have there been many instances where Garda members were told to essentially stop the chase?