As the Minister said, we are lucky to live in a country where our police force, An Garda Síochána, is lauded by the vast majority of society. I want to pay particular tribute to the excellent gardaí in our constituency of Dublin Bay South and here in Leinster House and, in particular, to the incredible work of community gardaí which I see first hand in my work as a constituency TD. They do great work with vulnerable youths. I want to state my very strong support for increased resources in this area. However, the number of community gardaí fell in 2025 by about 12%, as the Labour Party motion states. Alarmingly many constituents report to me they do not know who their community garda is anymore. Community gardaí play a critical role in the development of communities and preventing criminality, particularly among youth as young as six, and it is of upmost importance that they are supported at every turn and resources are allocated to them. I met a detective in our constituency recently who felt as if there was no support for his work in regard to resources or pay and conditions. He also lamented the lack of public understanding about the importance of good policing and the effects it has on those who fulfil a vital role in protecting society. These things also contribute to morale which I am sure the Minister will agree is a huge concern for gardaí. In the Garda, and across the public sector, many new entrants are at extreme disadvantage to their older counterparts when it comes to pensions. The superintendent in my constituency described how her pension package was far in excess to what was available to the community garda across the table from here. That kind of unfairness breeds dissatisfaction among the rank and file and must be remedied if we are to attract high-calibre people to serve the public not just in the Garda but across the public sector. I hope the Minister takes all these things as matters of the upmost importance to his colleagues in the Government.

Sentiment score: 0.31