Barry Heneghan: Faster Support for Gardaí in Dublin Bay North
Barry Heneghan addresses the Dáil about Gardaí resourcing, recruitment and local allocation in Dublin Bay North, arguing for targeted investment and practical supports rather than the motion under debate. He thanks serving Gardaí, highlights imbalances in extra Garda allocations, and warns that slower action will harm recruitment and community trust.
Summary of his position: Barry Heneghan explains he will not support the motion, not because there are no problems, but because he believes many issues must be addressed by the Gardaí themselves. He stresses that there have been positive developments since this government was formed but says support must come faster.
Local concerns and recruitment: Heneghan describes a clear imbalance between North Dublin and other parts of the city after recent announcements of extra Gardaí, and urges more visible policing in his constituency. He warns that without better recruitment and retention measures, and without rebuilding trust in communities, those gaps will widen.
Support for essential workers: He calls for practical supports for critical workers - housing incentives, rental assistance and financial supports for early-career essential workers including Gardaí, teachers and nurses. He also highlights the ongoing Northside Home Care Services industrial action and the issue of pay parity for care workers.
Praise for frontline work: Heneghan commends the vast majority of Gardaí as dedicated and professional, and thanks them for their work on the St Patrick's Day parades in Dublin Bay North. He urges the Minister to accelerate targeted investment and fair allocation of resources to strengthen policing and community trust.
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Go raibh míle maith agat, Cathaoirleach. D'úas padlum. Míle buíoch sa rádh don d'Gaerdaí Síochána. My father was a Gaerdaí, my grandfather was a Gaerdaí, and so was my great-grandfather. I would not be supporting the motion, but not because I don't think there are real issues, but because I do believe that this needs to be looked at by the Gaerdaí themselves, and I do believe there has been a lot of good things that have happened in the Gaerdaí since the beginning of the foundation of this government. I also want to acknowledge the Gaerdaí themselves, men and women who put themselves on the line day in and day out. The vast majority of Gaerdaí members are dedicated, professional, and deeply committed to the communities, and as other deputies have mentioned, they need more support. I do believe that the support has begun, but we need to do faster, Minister. I also want to, especially in Dublin by North, speak to Gaerdaí and speak to members of the public. There's a clear imbalance, in my opinion, between areas in North Dublin and other parts of the city with the recent announcements of extra Gaerdaí. People in my constituency can see it, and we'd love to feel it. We'd love to see more Gaerdaí on the beach, but to get more Gaerdaí to be, we need more Gaerdaí to be and to apply for the job. One of the things I would like to say is we need to have more support for all critical workers, whether it be exploring housing supports, rental assistance, or similar to what other public services have done in London before. I think if we brought in essential workers, teachers, Gaerdaí, nurses, and gave them financial support, particularly at the beginning of their career, outside the Dáil right there today, we have another one of our essential workers, the Northside Home Care Services, on strike. They are not having pay parity, and that needs to be looked at as well. Minister, if we don't address this, we'll soon see more recruitment struggle without retention and without building trust in the community. There are issues, there are gaps, but we need targeted investment, fair allocation of resources, and practical support for an Gaerdaí síochána. I would also like to commend Gaerdaí síochána for the work and the help they did in Dublin Bay North, across the communities, over the weekend of St Patrick's Day. They were brilliant for all the parades, and I would like to thank them for that.
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