10. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will clarify the Government's position regarding potential new powers allowing An Garda Síochána to access encrypted communications and personal device data, following recent reports concerning remarks he made on the issue; and whether he will outline the safeguards that will be put in place to ensure that any expansion of interception or surveillance powers is necessary, proportionate and subject to robust oversight. [20841/26]

Sentiment score: 0.29

I understand the rationale for a measure like this. I understand that the legislation the Minister is working off is from 1993 and its drafters would never have foreseen the world we are in now but we need to move carefully and cautiously with a measure such as this. Some of the technology being referenced here might be developed by companies such as Pegasus, for example. In other jurisdictions, Pegasus spyware has been used as a way of monitoring political opposition and has been used unlawfully against journalists. I understand the rationale for this and we are in a very different world, but I ask the Minister, when he brings forward this legislation, to respect the process by which we can apply the right level of scrutiny. I ask him to work with organisations that can demonstrate best practice in oversight and to make sure that the Oireachtas justice committee has full sight of everything the Minister is proposing at the pre-legislative scrutiny stage. I can absolutely see why a measure like this is necessary but the world may also be very different in ten or 20 years' time. A Government ten years from now may be very different from the one we have now or next and may have a different attitude, so the careful drafting of this legislation is important.

Sentiment score: 0.33

13. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of Garda members who have retired or resigned from An Garda Síochána in each of the past five years; whether his Department has carried out any analysis of the reasons for those departures; the number of members currently eligible to retire within the next three years; and the measures being taken to improve retention within the force. [20843/26]

Sentiment score: 0.24

I want to ask the Minister the number of Garda members who have retired or resigned from An Garda Síochána in each of the past five years, whether his Department has carried out any analysis of the reasons for those departures, the number of members currently eligible to retire within the next three years and the measures being taken to improve retention within the force.

Sentiment score: 0.42

I thank the Minister for his response. There was one part of the question he did not answer, which was the number of gardaí eligible to retire within the next three years. That is a figure of particular concern to me. When the Minister wrote about this issue in 2024, it was of particular concern to him. At that time, he talked about nearly 50% of the force becoming eligible for retirement by 2028. The figure he had in that article in 2024 was 6,400 gardaí becoming eligible for retirement. That was because in the late 1980s and 1990s, there was a large recruitment drive and the majority of those gardaí are now coming towards retirement age. The genuine concern is that the number of people we are recruiting to the Garda will not be able to match the number of gardaí who are reaching the age of eligibility for retirement. Previously, the Minister talked about activating the Garda Reserve and the expansion of Templemore but, as he said himself, there is potential for a retirement crisis on the horizon. What is the Government doing to mitigate that?

Sentiment score: 0.00

I would like to hear more about the recruitment and the capacity for expansion, particularly around Templemore. We reach a particular limit when the Garda does recruitment drives. A lot of people put themselves forward but such is the level of time it takes for the training, which is obviously necessary, and for vetting, which we have seen huge problems with, I do not believe we are bringing enough people through to cover the potential retirements that are on the horizon. That figure of 1,700 eligible is different from the figure the Minister got through parliamentary questions two years ago, which there was a great emphasis on. How is that mitigated because at different points morale in the Garda goes up and goes down? The numbers the Minister gave me for retirements for the past five years are fairly consistent; they are in the 400s and the high 300s. If we have greater capacity for retirements, are we doing any exit interviews with gardaí who are leaving? What measures are we taking? Obviously, it is welcome if a person wishes to postpone their retirement beyond the age of 55. That is their choice and I can understand that. However, there are many who will not want to do that and many who have not done so.

Sentiment score: 0.14