Paul Bradford (Renua Ireland) | Oireachtas source

I support what Senator John Kelly said about the spectrum of price increases in health, home and motor insurance. Unfortunately, whatever gains will accrue to the average family from budgetary changes will be swept away by the increase in the price of insurance. During the years we have ignored the fact that there is a need for a renewed war on the cost of living. It is important that the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, in particular, look at the various price increases in these important areas. Obviously, the Minister for Health should tackle the cost of health insurance. We have discussed the insurance industry here ad nauseam. All of these cost increases have hit the pockets of the average citizen hard; we must, therefore, contain increases to the maximum extent possible.

I will comment briefly on the policing service. I appreciate that we can look at the concept of early retirement and try to make changes in that regard, but I wish to ask a question that I have asked previously. What has happened to the Garda Reserve? It was set up a number of years ago with a fanfare of trumpets, but it is hard to know visiibly whether it is up and running. Young people showed a significant degree of interest in joining. It might be helpful, therefore, to ask the Minister for Justice and Equality to come to discuss the issue. There is great scope for the Garda Reserve to be of tremendous benefit from the perspectives of traffic management and rural and community policing and I want to know if the Minister plans to expand and develop it. It seems to be stuck in no man's land. We have heard from some members that they had difficulty in finding - let us be honest about it - a degree of acceptance for the work that they do. We need to thrash out the matter and have a constructive debate on it in order that the force will be used more effectively.