Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I asked the Leader on a number of occasions about the Betting (Amendment) Bill 2012 and online betting. Many of us agree such betting should be brought into the tax net to provide a level playing pitch, particularly for Irish high street bookmakers. I was expecting something in the budget but that did not materialise. The Leader has chased this up previously and he is of the same mind as I am. However, I would appreciate an update on where the issue stands.

I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Justice and Equality of his appointment of a barrister to carry out an independent review of the Fr. Niall Molloy case. I commend Senators John Kelly and John Whelan on their persistence in this matter. It is a step forward in the right direction and it is to be hoped we will have a report shortly on that and that justice will be served for Fr. Molloy's family.

I have asked on a number of occasions for a debate on policing and the view of the Minister for Justice and Equality on smart policing in Ireland. Gardaí are operating with one hand tied behind their backs. They do not have the resources to do their job. The Minister has announced on a number of occasions that he will open up recruitment for new gardaí but he is yet to set a date. With new recruits having to attend college in Templemore, it will be two years before they will be ready to go on the beat. The Garda fleet is being replaced by commercial vans because they can do more mileage with them. The number of gardaí serving our communities has been drastically reduced in many Garda stations over the past two to three years. For example, the main station in north county Dublin is Balbriggan which serves 50,000 people. On 2 November, one Garda car was available for the entire district. There were four burglaries that evening and an individual was arrested. The response time to calls that evening was between two and three hours. That is the type of policing our citizens are getting. I do not blame gardaí for this because they are not being given support by the Minister or the Government to do their job.

I would like to have a proper considered debate with the Minister in the House on this specific issue. The position is worsening and he can talk about crime figures all he likes and reductions in certain categories, although many people question their veracity, but gardaí are at breaking point and they need the support of the Government and the Minister. They are not getting it and, therefore, I ask the Leader to set aside time between now and the Christmas recess to debate policing in Ireland. What date has the Government set to resume Garda recruitment?