asked the Taoiseach the estimated population of (a) Malahide, (b) Portmarnock and (c) Kinsealy, County Dublin (i) now, (ii) at the time of the last census and (iii) ten years ago.

The towns of Malahide and Portmarnock do not have legal boundaries. For the purposes of the 1971 Census of Population, boundaries were assigned by the Central Statistics Office which indicated that in 1971 the population of Malahide and Portmarnock was 3,834 and 1,726 respectively. Similar figures are not available for any subsequent date.

In 1971 the towns of Malahide and Portmarnock were both contained in the District Electoral Division of Malahide which had a population of 5,905 in 1971 and a corresponding population of 16,618 in 1979.

The District Electoral Division of Kinsealy had a population of 818 in 1971 and 800 in 1979, the latest date for which figures are available.

Would the Taoiseach indicate, in view of the way the population of the areas in the two DEDs appears to have trebled over the last ten years, whether he is satisfied with the number of gardaí present in the three areas?

This is a statistical question, it is not a policy question.

The Taoiseach will not say. Is he satisfied?

The Deputy should address a question to the Minister for Justice.

I have one down to him. I thought it might affect the Taoiseach.