Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Yes, that is a worthwhile suggestion if there are schemes provided to encourage that. I suspect the Minister is inundated with requests from politicians for new Garda stations here, there and everywhere. It would be much more cost efficient to give young officers the opportunity to live in an area at a reduced rent for a period. That house would not only become a type of sub-station, but also the place where the garda lives. The Minister pointed out earlier that we used to provide accommodation quarters for members of the force, but most of those are no longer habitable.

More thought should be given to this idea. We could run a pilot scheme. As the Minister knows, young officers could not afford to live in the area in which he lives.