I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "recognises: — the crucial role played by An Garda Síochána in ensuring the security of the State, protecting and serving communities across Ireland through the maintenance of law and order, and upholding the principles of justice; — the commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, in April 2025, providing an extensive new framework for policing and community safety in Ireland, and the subsequent establishment of new bodies critical to the governance and delivery of policing services by An Garda Síochána; — that Central Statistics Office data shows a decrease in the majority of offence groups in the year to September 2025, the latest period for which data is available; — that, in particular, homicide and related offences fell by 25 per cent, reflecting, in particular, the significant success of An Garda Síochána in combatting organised crime groups; — that robbery, extortion and hijacking offences fell by 13 per cent in the same period; — that burglary and related offences fell by 12 per cent, reflecting the continued evidence-based success of Operation Thor by An Garda Síochána; — the critical importance of a visible, locally embedded, well-resourced, modern police service in building stronger, safer communities, supporting community wellbeing and enabling them to flourish; — that, through the promotion of crime prevention and visible policing, An Garda Síochána foster a sense of security, especially among the most vulnerable in our society; — that our communities rely on the Gardaí to respond to emergency calls, patrol our neighbourhoods, prevent, detect and investigate crimes; — that An Garda Síochána play an important role in the recently established Community Safety Partnerships, 35 of which are established and operational around the country; — that overall funding for An Garda Síochána has increased by almost 50 per cent since 2020, with investment of over €2.74 billion for 2026; — that through successive budget increases the Government has ensured that An Garda Síochána has the resources, leadership and technology to deliver on its mission; — that a major capital plan is being implemented, including the construction of Divisional Headquarters in Clonmel and Macroom; and — that €69 million has been allocated to further expand and modernise the Garda fleet over the next five years, which represents a 38 per cent increase on the allocation for the previous five years; further recognises that: — in line with Programme for Government commitments, the Garda Training Review Group is working to identify delivery options to increase the scale and capacity of high-quality education, training and continuous professional development in An Garda Síochána, and this will help ensure that the skills needs of the organisation are met over the next decade; — the proportion of Garda resignations remains very low, with the resignation rate currently between 1 and 2 per cent; — significant measures have been taken to boost recruitment and retention in recent years, including increasing the Garda trainee allowance to €354 per week, increasing the age of entry from 35 to 50, and raising the mandatory retirement age to 62; — the vast majority of Gardaí serve with integrity and work tirelessly to keep our communities safe; — the Garda Commissioner is committed to ensuring the highest levels of integrity are maintained across the organisation, and that there are robust procedures in place under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, to allow him to deal with any allegations of misconduct; — the introduction of a modernised statutory disciplinary framework under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, will help to ensure more timely resolution of conduct proceedings and cases involving Garda suspensions; — statutory Standards of Professional Behaviour and associated Conduct Regulations now provide clear mechanisms to examine allegations concerning the conduct of Garda members; and — significant and sustained investment in equipment for Gardaí is delivering real benefits, including through the rollout of mobility devices to all frontline members, the rollout of body-worn cameras, the acquisition of two water cannons, the expansion of the fleet and the purchase of three new state-of-the-art aircraft; welcomes that: — there are 14,529 attested Gardaí serving with An Garda Síochána as of end February 2026, reflecting that Garda recruitment is now accelerating following the forced closure of the Garda College during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and subsequent alterations to training as the pandemic continued; — this represents an increase of almost 1,500 Garda members since 2016; — the overall Garda workforce has increased from 15,980 in 2016 to 18,276 in 2026; — the Government has committed in the Programme for Government to funding the recruitment of 5,000 Gardaí and additional Garda staff by 2030; — interest in a career in An Garda Síochána is high, with almost 11,000 applications to join the Service received in 2025; — 223 Garda Trainees entered the Garda Training College in Templemore in November 2025, the largest single intake to the Garda College since 2014, and overall, 794 trainees entered the Garda College in 2025, the highest number since 2018; — a further 215 Garda Trainees entered the Garda Training College in February 2026, with three further intakes planned across the remainder of the year; — 194 Gardaí attested in November 2025, the highest number since 2019; — the Government is committed to increasing the Garda Reserve with a recruitment competition planned for 2026, and further intakes planned this year; and — the introduction of the Garda Operating Model, which makes Garda Divisions the central unit of policing administration, has provided for a more comprehensive and inclusive policing service and helped strengthen the focus on community policing, while also introducing increased local specialisation in the investigation of a range of crimes, including sexual crime, domestic violence, cyber-crime, and economic crime; and notes the Government's commitment to: — continue to invest in ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to keep people safe; — support the Garda Commissioner in ensuring the wellbeing and job satisfaction of the members and staff of An Garda Síochána; — continue to provide funding to recruit 5,000 new Gardaí over the next five years; — modernise the statutory basis for certain Garda powers, through the enactment of the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2026; — further enhance the detection and investigation capabilities of An Garda Síochána, through the enactment of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill 2025, which builds on the Garda Síochána's ability to use body-worn cameras, enabled through the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023; — continue to invest in additional measures to support the Garda College to increase capacity for up to 1,000 Garda Trainees per year, including those detailed in the An Garda Síochána Recruitment Training Capacity Group Report, published in September 2025; and — continue to support the work being done by An Garda Síochána with international partners to deal with organised crime gangs and the related issue of drugs in our communities.". I welcome the opportunity offered by the Labour Party motion and the Government countermotion to talk about the outstanding work carried out by members of An Garda Síochána and the extraordinary commitment they show on a daily basis. I commend them on the work they do to protect our communities and keep all of us safe. Since taking up office over a year ago, I have sought to ensure we can deliver a vibrant and strong policing service that is highly visible in our communities. I am committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources, technology and systems it needs to prevent crime and keep us safe. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is delivering a complex and effective programme of policy development, legislative change and the resources needed to deliver on those commitments in every county. The criticism of An Garda Síochána by some Members of this House does not reflect the very positive view of the Garda held by the people of Ireland. The repeated references to Garda morale being low are not supported by evidence and ignore the vibrancy and success of the organisation, which the vast majority of its members are proud to serve in. The proof of this lies in the fact that the annual resignation rate within An Garda Síochána is approximately 1% or less of attested members. That is a low number by any standard and contrasts very favourably with figures in the broader public and private sector and particularly when compared to rates experienced in the PSNI, police services in the UK and police services in other jurisdictions. That over 11,000 people applied to be members of An Garda Síochána last year shows that being a garda is seen as an attractive career and a valuable way to give back to your community. A hugely positive central role is played by members of An Garda Síochána in communities across the State. We have an admirable and long tradition of policing by consent in Ireland. That remains at the core of our policing service. It means that policing work here is done thanks to and because of the strong links that exist between gardaí and the communities they serve. People in Ireland recognise and value those links and the positive impact that An Garda Síochána has on people's day-to-day lives. The most recent public attitudes survey demonstrated that 88% of people who took part trust An Garda Síochána and 70% were satisfied with the service provided in their local communities. Since becoming Minister, I have been enormously impressed by the senior leadership of An Garda Síochána. They have played a pivotal role in reforming our national police force while tackling organised crime with unprecedented results and dramatically reducing the incidents of burglaries across the state. The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which I commenced in April of last year, provides a modern legislative structure for a police service fit for the 21st century. I commend the work of Commissioner Justin Kelly and the senior leadership personnel in putting the organisation on such a strong footing. His dedication and professionalism in modernising the organisation means we have a policing service we can all be proud of. As Minister, I am happy to engage with Members of this House, with the Garda associations and with the Commissioner on measures that can be taken to improve our policing service. I value the important engagement I have had with the four Garda representative organisations. Commissioner Kelly has also engaged in a comprehensive manner with the organisations. I understand he will attend their annual conferences and will engage to resolve, as will I, any issues raised by their membership as best he can. The Government has set a high bar for An Garda Síochána in the programme for Government and is making ongoing strides along with the Commissioner and all his team to achieve the commitments. On a daily basis, I see on our streets the commitment and dedication of the Garda and the work undertaken to keep us safe. Over the past decade, gardaí have made over 1,000 arrests for organised crime offences. Many of these individuals have been prosecuted and convicted and are now off our streets. Last year, there were no gangland gun murders in Ireland for the first time in over three decades. This is not due to good fortune; it is due to the dedicated work of the Garda in making our country safer. It has done an excellent job in ensuring that the presence of guns in Ireland is very low. Over the same period, Operation Thor was introduced with the aim of detecting and preventing incidents of burglary and associated criminal activity. This operation has delivered a truly remarkable drop in the number of residential burglaries of approximately 75%, particularly during the winter months. This initiative continues to have a positive impact on the reduction of property crime in Ireland. A more recent development I would like to highlight is the introduction of the high-visibility policing plans first in Dublin and latterly in Cork and Limerick. I acknowledge the comments of colleagues from the Labour Party who recognise the presence of high-visibility policing. When I listen to people all over the country, what I hear most is that people want to see more gardaí on our streets where they are most needed. This Government is committed to delivering on the commitment to see more gardaí on our streets. There is a high-visibility policing plan in Dublin city centre. It will be rolled out throughout the country. During the first six months of the roll-out in Dublin, there were increased proactive policing detections for a range of offences, including public order offences, drunkenness and drugs for sale or supply. Arrests, charges and summonses have considerably increased. At the same time, thefts and robberies have decreased. The Government and the Garda have demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach. It is now being extended to Cork and Limerick and will be extended to other parts of the country as well. We all agree we need a larger Garda organisation. That is why the Government is committed to recruiting at least 5,000 new Garda recruits by 2030. I have stated numerous times that supporting the Garda is my number one priority. At the end of February this year, there were 14,529 attested gardaí. More broadly, the overall Garda workforce has increased from 15,980 in 2016 to 18,276 in 2026. Some 2,287 people have entered the Garda college since it reopened in 2022 after the pandemic. Just under 800 trainees entered the Garda college in 2025, the highest number since 2018. In the first intake of this year, 215 recruits entered Templemore. This is the third intake in a row with over 200 recruits. This is making a difference. As more gardaí are trained and the organisation grows, Garda management will have greater resources to increase the numbers allocated to specialist units. While the training college in Templemore will always be the primary centre for training gardaí, we can all acknowledge its capacity limitations and that is why work is under way to increase capacity in the short term with the support of the Office of Public Works, OPW. It is anticipated that additional capacity will become available this year, providing capacity for a total of 500 Garda trainees on site. While much of our focus is on the work of the Garda, we must remember that ensuring people are safe and feel safe requires a broader response. That is apparent in terms of the local community policing partnerships that have been rolled out. There has been public discourse regarding Garda discipline and suspensions, something that has been raised by colleagues from the Labour Party, and I want to address this. I must be mindful, of course, that some matters have been before the courts and that internal Garda discipline comes under the remit of the Commissioner. Therefore, I will not comment on individual matters. It is critical to acknowledge that the vast majority of gardaí serve with integrity and do their duty with commitment and dedication. Public confidence in An Garda Síochána depends on gardaí demonstrating the highest level of personal and professional standards of behaviour. At the end of January, there were 101 members of the Garda on suspension. That represents just 0.6% of the total number of Garda members in the State. I will also stress that a suspension from duty is not a finding of guilt or wrongdoing. Suspension is a step in the process; it is not the final judgment. It is a mechanism to ensure public confidence in the police service while any allegations are investigated. There are robust procedures in place to allow the Commissioner to deal with any allegations of misconduct in a proper manner and I brought forward regulations last April to give effect to that. There are now separate regulations for dealing with misconduct, as opposed to performance. We have also streamlined investigations for Fiosrú. However, the criminal justice system and the law apply to everyone. Wearing a Garda uniform does not grant anyone immunity from proper scrutiny, investigation or prosecution. Equally, the fact a person who may be accused of a criminal offence is a member of the Garda is not, in and of itself, a finding of guilt. Our system operates on the presumption of innocence and that applies to everyone, be they a member of the public or or a member of the Garda. Anyone who is brought before the courts has a right to defend themselves and their reputation. That is the system operating in the proper independent manner. It is not open to me as Minister to intervene in investigations or the deliberations of the DPP and certainly not in the operation of the courts. Our system is designed to be a set of independent yet interlinked bodies with defined roles and responsibilities so that political intervention or interference in the administration of justice cannot occur. Calls for independent inquiries for every single court case brought against gardaí cannot become the norm, in particular in cases where the accused has been subject to prosecution, has had access to a defence and has been acquitted by a jury of their peers. In particular, it cannot be the norm in a system like that which we are lucky to enjoy and in which I am proud to serve, where the administration of justice is conducted openly and transparently. We are rightly proud of the relationship the Garda has with the public in this country and we need to maintain that. That trust has taken many years to build up and I will not allow it to be damaged. I want to ensure that An Garda Síochána goes from success to success.

Sentiment score: 0.26