Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

The first priority of the Commissioner and the Minister is to ensure the safety of the citizen, and they are doing quite a good job in that respect. The Garda is doing an excellent job. I do not think the situation is as bleak as the Senator is painting it. I accept that he must make the argument, but I do not think it is as bad as he says. For Donegal as a whole, the resources are quite considerable, for the reasons the Senator has outlined. I cannot say for certain what will be in next year's budget in the area for which I am responsible, and I most definitely cannot guarantee a budget allocation in an area for which I am not responsible. We are in dire circumstances; the country has never been in this position before. We are trying to crawl our way out of it, and we are doing our very best.