asked the Minister for Justice if Garda patrol cars are still inoperative because of the shortage of qualified Gardaí to operate them.

It was never intended that all patrol cars should be on patrol on a continuous basis and, in fact, what is regarded as an adequate service can be provided in many cases by a very limited use of the car. In the bigger centres, however, patrol cars are often used on a round-the-clock basis.

Occasionally there may be a shortage of men in a particular location to provide a crew, but the Garda authorities do not consider that there is any problem in that regard.