An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-24
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Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central

I thank the Deputy for his commentary. It is a sign of the high esteem in which An Garda Síochána is held in this country that every part of the country is looking for more gardaí but I know it is also to have greater security and safety. The new Commissioner is very clear on the importance of the visibility of An Garda Síochána on our streets. It will get there. The through-put in Templemore is very good, with increased numbers all the time. There is a clear commitment in the programme for Government of up to 5,000 additional gardaí over the lifetime of this Government. A total of 223 trainees entered in November, which was the largest intake since 2014, and it was similar in the last one, so about 617 have come through in 2025 alone. That is manifest in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford. I take the Deputy's point. About 94 members of An Garda Síochána are assigned to stations in Longford, which is an increase of 8% since the end of 2016 when there were 87 members. We will focus and I will talk to the Minister and the Commissioner.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:40+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-24