The Minister in his reply referred to the recruitment of 1,000 new gardaí but there was a short list of 12 people from the previous scheme who had been disallowed on medical grounds — they were athletes who had met with accidents. Has the Minister discounted those 12 people from the new training programme?

I am a bit slow to respond to the Deputy on that point without prior notice but I can say, and this is subject to verification at a later stage over the next number of days, that it is the intention that those who were due to be called for training at the end of the last competition will be facilitated in the new competition. I understand, and I will let the Deputy have something more definite, that the Commissioner has written to them to that effect some time ago. I will check the matter out for the Deputy.