Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to talk about An Garda Síochána. Following pressure from Fianna Fáil, there is increased funding of €81 million for Garda numbers in budget 2020, which will deliver up to 700 new Garda recruits. However, I need clarity about something that the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, announced earlier this year, namely, that 800 recruits would join the ranks at the Garda Training College in Templemore this year. However, the budget states that up to 700 are being recruited. The newspapers are calling it a U-turn and another broken promise, caught up in a web of spin and empty announcements.