Richard O'Donoghue presses Minister on Garda numbers in Limerick
Richard O'Donoghue pressed the Minister on the allocation of new Garda recruits to Limerick, asking how many would be posted to the county as opposed to the city and how many would replace retiring officers. He emphasised equality between city and county policing and sought clarity on the actual number of Garda who will be "on the ground".
Questions on local Garda allocations
Richard O'Donoghue asked for specific figures on how many of the new recruits would be assigned to Limerick county as well as the city. He referenced local stations - including Brough and the new Newcastle West station - and stressed that Limerick is a large area requiring county as well as city coverage.
Replacement and on-the-ground numbers
He pressed the Minister on how many recruits would replace Garda who are retiring and how many additional Garda would actually be available to police communities. O'Donoghue rejected suggestions he was pitting city against county, saying he sought equality for both areas.
Training intakes and placement policy
The Minister responded that 20 new Garda were recently posted to Limerick city and said placement of recruits leaving Templemore is not a decision he makes. The Minister outlined the goal of securing intakes of around 200 at Templemore and noted that with four or five intakes a year that would produce more guards available to deploy around the country.
Past intake figures cited
O'Donoghue cited a previous statistic that before the current Minister took office there were 400 recruits starting yet only about 145-150 were coming out. He used that figure to underline the importance of matching intake numbers with successful pass-outs and replacements for retirements.
Political exchanges and local reaction
The exchange included a reference to Deputy Nile Collins and a rebuff of claims that the debate set city against county. The session focused tightly on numbers, placement and ensuring sufficient Garda presence across both Limerick city and county.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Recently we have been getting 20 new Garda for Limerick and the 20 Garda are being appointed into the Limerick city which are needed and much needed, but how many can you give me in the county as well? Limerick is a big place with 40 square miles for Garda station, the likes of Brough Garda station, then you have Newcastle West, the new Garda station. I know you are talking about recruits and you have 200 going in and you are saying you are going to have 200 come out. The last statistic before you became Minister, we had 400 going in and only 145 or 150 came out. So I am delighted that you are confident that 200 are going in and 200 are coming out. How many are you going to be replacing for retirement? How many Garda are we actually going to get on the ground? And it is not Deputy Nile Collins came on yesterday and our last weekend was having a go at me that I am putting city against county. I am not. I am looking for equality for city and county, the protectors that are in your remit, that we need them county and city. And when, how many are going to come in to replace the retirement and how many actually Garda are we going to get? Thank you Deputy. Minister. Deputy, the biggest problem I face as Minister for Justice is that every elected representative and member of the public that I meet wants to see more Garda in their community. And there is a positive story behind that when you reflect upon it. You know, it was great that 20 Garda went to Limerick City. I do not decide where new recruits coming out of Templemore go. I know everyone wants them. But as I said earlier on in response to Deputy Bacic, if we can get 200 intake into Templemore for each intake and there is four or five intakes a year, we will find ourselves where at the end of each passing out there will be lots of guards going around the country and available. So that is the policy objective. Thank you Deputy or Minister.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
