2026-05-20

I warmly welcome the latest Garda recruitment campaign. It is encouraging that we are on track to surpass 15,000 gardaí by the end of this year. As the State recruits more gardaí, I want to raise how and where the State trains gardaí. The town of Templemore has served the State well, hosting the Garda College that has trained men and women who have proudly served the people of this country as our gardaí. I hope the Garda College in Templemore has a long future as the primary Garda training college. I wish to ask the question: why only Templemore? The demands of modern policing are more complex than ever while, at the same time, Ireland's population is growing rapidly and becoming more diverse. The nature of society, crime, urbanisation and the communities we live in have all changed utterly. The policing needs of the country have transformed just as our country has transformed. The time has come for a second training college, one that should be based in Dublin and that leverages the potential for greater linkages with the State's recently expanded network of technological universities. There is a compelling case for that second training college to be located in Blanchardstown. Blanchardstown represents one of the fastest growing population centres in the State, of which I am proud. It has diverse and dynamic communities, one of the country's largest retail centres, a university, the national sports campus and an expanding technological and economic corridor. We also have a campus of TU Dublin, an ideal site with ideal synergy. It would offer major recruitment advantages across Leinster and align Garda education with the future needs of policing, digital capability and emerging technology rooted in community engagement and modern urban policing skills. As I have raised with the Taoiseach previously many times in the Chamber, Blanchardstown and west Dublin face significant policing pressures. The K district is one of the busiest policing districts in the country. Blanchardstown is comparable in size and scale to a regional city but there is just one Garda station serving more than 100,000 people, compared to three stations in Limerick city. Since 2012, over 8,300 homes have been built in Dublin 15. Entirely new communities have been developed but no new Garda station has opened. Locating a new Garda college in Blanchardstown would send a signal that the policing challenges in Dublin and, in particular, in the growing communities around the M50 belt, are being taken seriously. If we are serious about delivering the Garda numbers our communities need by 2030, we must be equally serious about where, when and how we train them. Dublin 15 is ready to play that role.

The Taoiseach to respond now, Deputy, please.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We should say the first priority of the Government and the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, is to get more gardaí on our streets. This is manifesting itself, particularly in our larger cities. There has been positive feedback to the numbers coming out of Templemore and there has been greater visibility, particularly last winter, but we need to spread that out across the country. By the end of this year, we should have the highest number of sworn gardaí in the history of the State. We made commitments to continue to support and expand the capacity of the Garda training college in Templemore as part of the programme for Government. We have also committed to considering the establishment of a second Garda training college. We also said we would consider allowing Garda trainees to undergo parts of their training course in regional or technological universities, using existing resources and capacities, particularly in specialist modules in certain areas. A Garda training review group was established to identify delivery options to increase the scale and capacity of high-quality education and training and continuing professional development in An Garda Síochána. That will report to the Minister by the summer. Clearly, given the month of May, summer has not arrived yet. The group will consider specifically the case for a second training college and the role the tertiary system could play in the delivery of Garda training. It does not all have to be in Dublin. I will make that point. I know the Deputy has a fondness for Blanchardstown and she referenced TUD. I was responsible for getting that campus built in Blanchardstown in double-quick time with the late Brian Lenihan. There was a particular story behind it. I was also in a later life as the Minister for Health involved in expanding the role of the hospital in Blanchardstown. I am already hearing around the country advocacy for any potential additionality to the Garda training centres and we have to be fair to everybody. The overall point, however, is that Templemore will always be the core training college. There are no Tipperary Deputies in the audience, but it is just to keep things straight on that front. It has given great service, and the town and people of Templemore have given great support through the years to the Garda training college. However, additionality may be required, even though we are breaking record numbers at the moment. There is a high volume going through Templemore and there are 200 more going in. The overall workforce has gone from 15,980 to approximately 18,500 in the past ten years. Covid interrupted what happened in the college. We are committed to recruiting about 5,000 gardaí over the lifetime of the Government and so far it is going positively.

I was careful to state that Templemore should be retained as the primary Garda college but a second located in Dublin would be regionally advantageous for recruitment. It would broaden appeal. Progress is being made in capacity. The Minister has spoken about increasing capacity at Templemore to 250. We need more investment in roads policing, community policing and community safety strategies. Where better to do that than among the fast growing and most diverse population in the country? It is not just about numbers; it is about the types of policing challenges we now face like digital capability and cybercrime. Where better to train than in a modern and dynamic university? TUD Blanchardstown has the space, sports and exercise facilities and land zoned for educational purposes. The infrastructure exists for a pilot programme. We are a microcosm of modern urban Ireland, and we would be a great location for a second training college.

I thank the Deputy for her advocacy for Blanchardstown and TU Dublin. I have identified a group that has been established. I think former Secretary General Jim Breslin chairs that group with senior officials representing the Department of justice, An Garda Síochána, the Department of further and higher education, the Office of Public Works and the Higher Education Authority. It first met in January and is continuing its work with a schedule of meetings, including engagement with CEPOL, the European Union police service training agency on international best practice. It will report by the summer. Overall funding to An Garda Siochana has increased by €500 million over the past five years. Total funding now is approximately €2.74 billion. Recruitment is gathering momentum. Just under 800 new recruits entered Templemore in 2025. Groups of over 200 trainees are regularly entering Templemore, which is positive news. Some 201 entered on 4 May, which is good news.