Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To follow on from the Minister's comments, it is important that those thinking of applying today be given a timeframe for the process and steps along the way. This would be beneficial. I realise the Minister is trying to do work in this area. Where a person is working or trying to plan a future job, it is important to have clarity so that if he or she begins the process of becoming a member of An Garda Síochána today, he or she will be guaranteed to go through it within a set period, subject to all the relevant steps that must be undertaken, including the fitness test.

I am aware the fitness test's difficulty, or otherwise, has received much publicity recently. It is taken as a given that anybody serious about applying to become a member of An Garda Síochána requires a certain fitness level. As the Minister said, there is much information available on that level. Thankfully, people are probably looking after themselves more than ever before from a fitness point of view, and they are more conscious of their health. I would like to believe the majority of applicants have a fairly good level of fitness to begin with. I understand some have failed the test; however, as the Minister has said, if you have fallen at the first fence there is an opportunity to raise your fitness so you will have no problem the next time.

With regard to the medical, I am not sure of the exact detail but I can recall recent commentary on a delay and the question of whether a specific consultant within the Garda medical aid team had to conduct the fitness test, physical examination or health examination – call it what you may. For whatever reason, there was a delay. I do not know the present status. To fast-track the entire process, could any suitably qualified medical individual conduct the test so everybody would not have to go through the door of one consultant? You would imagine that if any medical consultant or suitably qualified medical individual signed off Joe or Mary as having health sufficiently good to join, it would suffice. In many ways, that might fast-track the process.

Once training is undertaken, the next step concerns where to go. My heart goes out to anybody coming to Dublin because they will have been on just 100-plus euro per week, or whatever it is. I compliment the Minister for raising the amount to a more realistic one. Someone who goes to Dublin expecting to put together a deposit for a house or apartment will have difficulty finding a property in the first instance, followed by the second test, namely paying the deposit or undertaking to pay the rent. I would not underestimate the challenge this poses for many coming out of the college, especially if the majority of them are to come to the capital city, which I would imagine will be the case in light of recent events.I would not underestimate the challenge this poses for many people coming out of the college, especially if the majority of them will be, which I imagine will be the case in light of recent events, coming to the capital city. It is not an issue we can shy away from.

This problem affects not just the Garda but has an impact on many public service jobs, whether it be nursing or teaching. We need to keep this issue on the radar because we are seeing situations where young gardaí are travelling long distances daily. Some of them may be travelling up as much as two hours to and from work. It can be stressful, tiresome and dangerous if they are driving to and from their work and long distances are involved.

Additionally, there is not the added advantage of having members of the Garda living in the community in which they are serving. I would certainly not underestimate the benefit of this to society, because it allows the individual member of An Garda Síochána to become embraced within the community from a social perspective, which could mean joining football clubs, Gaelic, soccer or rugby, a badminton club or whatever club it might be.