An Garda Síochána: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-13 ============================================================ Robbie Gallagher (FF), Labour Panel Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Collins, go dtí an Teach seo inniu. I welcome the Minister of State. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I welcome the motion put forward here by my colleagues this afternoon. I agree with every single word that was said by them in relation to the motion. I also take on board the sentiments and comments of Senator McDowell, the former Minister for justice, as well. There is no doubt that being a member of An Garda Síochána is a unique profession. Very few people put their clothes on in the morning, leave the house and perhaps might not come back that evening. Unfortunately, 90 members of An Garda Síochána lost their lives in the course of their duties. That figure puts in stark reality the dangers associated with being a member of the Garda. It can be a worthwhile and rewarding career but it is also a very dangerous career. The Executive must always be aware of the unique job that being a member of An Garda Síochána is. In relation to the numbers, as Senator McDowell outlined, we currently have in the region of 14,400. The target is to get to 15,000. With the growth in population, more needs to happen in that space. It has been disappointing this last number of years that we have not been able to get the momentum going. There are issues surrounding that in relation to the fact that Templemore was closed for a period and Covid-19, etc. We have to acknowledge that as well. We also have to acknowledge, and it is widely accepted by most commentators, that the team we have in the justice Department at present have all hit the ground running, led ably by the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, ably assisted by the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, and the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy. They are making progress and any fair-minded commentary on the progress within the Department of justice would have to accede to that. I am confident that the figure of 15,000 will be reached. I hope that we will see more movement there and more growth on those figures. The additional works that are going on in Templemore to facilitate bigger intakes is very welcome. Hopefully, we can see that momentum increase in speed as we move forward. It is important that we get people coming in the door. It is also vital that we do not lose too many people through the exit door. The role the garda representative bodies play in that regard, in being a voice for their members, is worth nothing. The Garda Representative Association, GRA, and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, AGSI, do an excellent job in relaying the needs of their membership. It is important that the Government gives both associations a close ear in relation to what they have to say about what is going on in the job. My colleagues have mentioned a number of issues, for example, in relation to driving licences. During the course of their duties, God only knows what kinds of scenes gardaí may come upon. They have to act in the moment, and they do so for all the right reasons. When gardaí subsequently get into difficulty, for one reason or another, while carrying out their duties at the site of a traffic accident or what have you, many of them feel they are treated as guilty until proven innocent. That is not the way is should be. Garda morale has been low in recent years. There has been a change at the top of An Garda Síochána, which has been a positive development. As with the team in the Department of justice, which I alluded to earlier, the new Garda Commissioner has hit the ground running. He has connected with the membership, whereas heretofore others may have struggled in that space. It is vital that members of An Garda Síochána feel valued by society. We must not tolerate, under any guise, attempts to intimidate members of the Garda or their families. Any fair-minded, right-thinking individual in these Houses would have no problem endorsing that comment. It is great to see the progress that is being made. We are beginning to get a bit of momentum. As previous speakers alluded to, we need to see that momentum being built on. I am confident that, with the team in place in the Department of justice at the moment, we will see that happening. I welcome the announcement this week of a new recruitment campaign, which was jointly launched by the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and the Commissioner. I encourage all young people who would like a rewarding career in the Garda to apply. I was that soldier for a short period but I moved on after a number of years. I touched on the dangers of being a garda but it is a very rewarding career as well. Officers are out there helping their community, which is very laudable. It can be a worthwhile career for any young or not so young person, as the case may be now, and I encourage anyone who is thinking about it to go ahead and make the application. I am sure they will not regret it. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-13/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:56+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-13