asked the Minister for Justice if he will state the number of Gardaí in the Dublin Metropolitan Division who have sufficient service to entitle them to retire.

The number is 350.

asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware that at a recent meeting of the Dublin Corporation a motion calling for more Gardaí for the Dublin Metropolitan Division was passed unanimously; and, if so, if he will instruct the Garda Commissioner to appoint at least 100 of the recruits at present in the Depot to the Dublin Metropolitan Division on completion of their training.

The present strength of the Dublin Metropolitan Division is 1,551. When the 250 recruits at present in the Depot have completed their training a sufficient number will be allocated to Dublin to bring the strength up to 1,620, the figure which the commissioner has provisionally fixed as the establishment for the division.