I wish to ask a supplementary question to Deputy Moynihan's question. It is in respect of an issue that has arisen for many domestic violence survivors who are having difficulty in accessing civil legal aid, those who perhaps want to take out a barring order against an abuser. They have a civil legal aid certificate but are not able to secure representation because, quite frankly, solicitors will not work under the terms that are in place. People who work in this area tell me there is a particular problem, an anomaly, whereby somebody who is in that position has to go to three separate solicitors and get refusals before they can go back to the Legal Aid Board. Anecdotally at least, people simply give up and go back to the situation they were in. Does the Minister plan to revise or review the fees that are in place, perhaps creating an additional payment for additional court appearances? Quite simply, the issue needs to be addressed.

Sentiment score: -0.09

We can talk about statistics, but the reality is that there have been 55 retirements and 31 resignations from An Garda Síochána in the past two months alone. We know that 1,640 gardaí will be eligible to retire over the next five years. The Minister spoke about some more recent work, but we know that prior to the commencement of exit interviews within An Garda Síochána, the GRA carried out its own research in 2023 with existing members. It found that members felt burnt out and stressed, were weighed down by administration, lacked the resources to be effective and were critical of the standard of training they received throughout their time in An Garda Síochána. The Minister has alluded to what some of the more recent research has found. Does he agree that the Dáil needs to be furnished with that research? We all need to have a handle on why some members of An Garda Síochána have left or feel they have no choice but to leave. Will the Minister review the system whereby his Department refuses parliamentary questions relating to the work of An Garda Síochána and cites the Act that was passed just last year for doing so? This House needs to hold the Minister and his agencies to account. We cannot do that if the Department is refusing to engage. I ask the Minister to revise the current position.

Sentiment score: -0.07