James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the importance of these groups to our communities and I acknowledge the hard work done by the Senator on this matter. I also acknowledge the financial pressures there can be on local community groups, particularly in respect of the length of time between incurring the cost and the rebate issuing. The system has been in place for some time. As I said, a review has been carried out by Muintir na Tíre and the Department will work with Muintir na Tíre. I heard the Senator’s concerns and I will relay them to the Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Department, and have the matter examined.

The Government remains committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fulfil its mission of keeping people safe and this is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of over €2 billion to the Garda in budget 2023, which will support the recruitment of 1,000 gardaí and of a further 400 civilian staff to release gardaí back onto their front-line duties. The Senator may wish to know that the overall reported rate of burglaries in Waterford Garda division is 42.93% lower in 2022 than the pre-pandemic levels in 2019, which shows the fantastic work that has been done by An Garda Síochána in the Waterford area and in operating Operation Thor to tackle those who are committing these crimes.

I thank the Senator again; I will bring his concerns back to the Department and discuss them with my colleague, the Minister for Justice.