Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the motion tabled by Senators Dardis, Walsh, Morrissey, Brennan and Minihan to commend the Government and me for our commitment to increasing the strength of the Garda Síochána.

Much has been said and written on this matter. The Opposition has claimed that the Government was not interested in honouring its commitment on the strength of the Garda force. Even when it was announced last week that the Government was embarking on a major recruitment drive to achieve its objective, the Opposition claimed it could not be done. One Opposition spokesperson in the Dáil claimed it would take 25 years to achieve the increases in question. However, it is not only possible but it will be achieved. The Government has approved my proposal to increase the strength of the Garda Síochána to 14,000 members on a phased basis in line with a key commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government and its implementation will significantly strengthen the operational capacity of the force.

On Thursday last, in the company of my Progressive Democrats colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, the Garda Commissioner, the Commissioners of the Office of Public Works and the chief executive of the Office of the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commissioners, I confirmed at the Phoenix Park conference the Government's intention to increase the strength of the Garda Síochána to 14,000 and outlined how I am going to do so. Taking into account projected retirements, the plan I announced will lead to a combined organisational strength of both attested gardaí and recruits in training of 14,000 as early as 2006. There will be a full complement of 14,000 fully-attested and qualified gardaí in late 2007 or early 2008.

Before I go into the specific details of this project, it is worthwhile examining the recent history of Garda numbers and comparing the record of this Government and its critics. In 1997, the force strength stood at 10,968 gardaí. Under this Government the strength of the force increased steadily to 11,748 in its first term. That progress has continued since June 2002 and the force is now at more than 12,100, representing an 11% increase since 1997, and will reach 12, 200 by the end of this year — the highest number in the history of the State.

When one contrasts the increase in Garda strength I have just mentioned with the Garda strength figures during the years leading up to 1997 when the Fine Gael and Labour parties were partners in the rainbow coalition, it is little wonder they regard the increase in the force strength of 2,000 gardaí as impossible. The record shows that during the years 1993 to 1996, the strength of the force in December of each year actually declined. The figure was 10,882 on 31 December 1993; 10,827 on 31 December 1994; 10,816 on 31 December 1995; and 10,804 on 31 December 1996. Such is the record of our critics when they held the reigns of power.

The Opposition also claims it had the economy in a magnificent condition and yet it allowed the strength of the Garda Síochána to decline year on year during that period. It could not be claimed that this was a period in which the public had any confidence that crime was being properly addressed. It is not as if we were living in halcyon days in which there was no problem with criminality. Rather, the reverse was the case.

Furthermore, during the last general election campaign, Fine Gael and the Labour Party set out their respective programmes for the Garda Síochána and the criminal justice system, neither of which made any commitment to any increase in the strength of the Garda whatsoever. In fairness, Fine Gael stated that it would establish a special commission to examine the strength of the Garda without any commitment to its outcome. The public and I have listened to enough negativity from that source on this matter and I am now pleased to be in a position to progress this commitment following the Government's approval of my proposals.

The programme for Government commitment in respect of Garda numbers states: "We will complete the current expansion of the Garda Síochána and increase recruitment so that the numbers will increase by a further 2,000". It is true that this major increase had to be temporarily put on hold because of the cap on public service numbers due to an international downturn in the economy after 2002. However, the Government through its prudent management of the public finances again has us on a growth path. We came through that downturn the least scathed of all the EU economies thanks to the expert financial genius of Deputy McCreevy——