I thank the Deputy. It is an important question. We all want to see more gardaí on our streets and dealing with different issues. That commitment is there. The budget this year was unprecedented, with €2.14 billion being allocated to the Garda. This will fund up to 1,000 new recruits next year and 400 additional Garda staff. In the year just gone, funding was allocated for 800 Garda staff. We will not be able to reach that full target because there have been some challenges in respect of Covid-19 at the Garda College in Templemore. We were simply not able to get the numbers into the training college at the beginning of the year. I am confident that on the basis of the new recruitment campaign, which saw 11,000 people put themselves forward to become members of the Garda, the first round of recruits will go into Templemore on 28 November 2022. That will allow us to get into a system whereby every 11 or 12 weeks, there will be 200 recruits in Templemore. That will allow us to reach the target of 1,000, as well as the 400 Garda staff positions that have been funded for next year.

There were challenges around Covid-19 this year. When we came to the end of the previous recruitment campaign, a number of people had gone into different careers. A number of people had decided to change path during the pandemic. Some people were unable to pass the fitness test. That problem is arising. Many of us might remember having to do the bleep test and other fitness tests in physical education class in school. It is important that members of the Garda have a certain level of fitness. There are challenges arising and we need to ensure we are on top of them. I meet with the Garda Commissioner about this matter quite regularly. I probably speak to him every couple of weeks, if not every week, specifically about the recruitment campaign and how things are going with the Public Appointments Service, which is an important part of the process. The service must conduct the interviews and put the numbers forward before the students go into the college. It is a lengthier process than we would like but I am confident, given that we now have a date of 28 November for the first of the new recruits from the 11,000 who applied for this campaign, that we will start a system that will see rolling numbers passing through Templemore and that we will not be interrupted by Covid-19 and the other challenges we have faced in the past year.

It is important that we increase the strength of the force but deployment once that happens is another matter. We are always told that is exclusively the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner. Fairness is required in that regard. Population is not the only metric that should be used but the Minister's constituency and my constituency, for example, are counties. Meath and Kildare are complete outliers. The more the population grows, the more services are stretched. A far from fair allocation is provided. That has been confirmed by previous Garda Commissioners who told me there was an understanding that this was the case. The only thing that will remedy that unfairness is disproportionately deploying new members of the Garda to understrength areas. What engagement does the Minister have with the Garda Commissioner to ensure fair deployment? I understand that the Commissioner has to run the operational side. However, there must be some degree of fairness. There is no evidence that the population shifts reflected in the two most recent censuses have been considered. Does the Minister engage with the Commissioner on that issue?

The simple answer is "Yes", without straying into areas that are not my responsibility because it is very much the role of the Garda Commissioner to look at where there are challenges, issues and significant population increases. Population is not the only factor but, as the Deputy said, it must be taken into account. We have only properly seen the figures for the most recent census in the past few weeks. I have no doubt but that those figures will be reflected in how the new recruits entering Templemore in November and the 1,000 gardaí and civilian staff we hope to have next year will be spread across the country. Every county feels it is under-resourced. It is clear to see, on the basis of population and the numbers, where there needs to be a boost and those issues need to be addressed. It is very much a matter for the Garda Commissioner.

It is important that we have that number of recruits coming out. Some 11,000 people, including, I am pleased to say, many more women and many people from diverse backgrounds, applied in January this year. We are going to open a new recruitment campaign in the second quarter of next year to ensure we have a steady flow of people. Deputy Kenny is going to raise this issue shortly, but some people are retiring and others are leaving the force. We need to consider many different issues. We need a steady flow and stream. That will ensure that the counties the Deputy has mentioned, our own included, among others, will start to see that significant increase.

It must be a huge embarrassment that the Minister's own county of Meath has slightly less than half the national average of the ratio of gardaí to population. That has an impact on the type of policing and the level of detection. The result is a reactive type of policing, as opposed to proactive policing that includes an adequate number of community gardaí. There is a need for them to engage with new communities. Visibility is another factor. It must be an embarrassment that the worst ratio of gardaí to population is in her area when she is the Minister for Justice. This has not only arisen recently but has been happening for a period of time. Many Ministers for Justice have overseen this unfair distribution of resources.

I am proud of the work the Garda does in County Meath. I regularly meet with teams and while I want to see more gardaí on the beat and in community policing in the county, it is important that there is a separation between me and the Commissioner, who decides where gardaí go. My role is to ensure that as many potential gardaí as possible enter Templemore and that the funding and resources are there. I must ensure the Garda has the necessary equipment, including cars, technology and the buildings it needs, to provide the fantastic service it does. I want to see more gardaí in Meath and right across the country. I am committed to that not only through the funding we are providing this year but also through the constant engagement I have with the Commissioner. I must understand his needs and the needs of the Garda in general. Whether legislation, resources or anything else is required to help the Garda do its job more efficiently and effectively, I must ensure it is put in place. I refer again to the unprecedented budget that has been provided this year, building on last year and the year before. That will continue to increase. I have no doubt, given the census figures we have seen in recent weeks, that as the numbers of new members come out of Templemore in the next few months and next year, we will start to see an increase of gardaí in many counties.