In 2011, 13 years ago, the number of gardaí policing Limerick was 637. It shrank to 612 in 2020. It has now shrunk again to 585. That is against a background of a substantially and rapidly increased population and a tidal wave of antisocial behaviour, which is making miserable the lives of many people in my constituency. I deal with cases of people who are literally under a curfew in their homes, people who are not even safe in their own homes and people whose kids cannot access local playgrounds put there at the expense of the State because of intimidation. My simple question to the Taoiseach is when will the Government provide the third city in this Republic with sufficient Garda resources to deal with this problem, which is having such a severe impact on the lives of people there?

I thank the Deputy and acknowledge Limerick is one of a number of places that needs more gardaí. Blanchardstown in my constituency is another. The number of gardaí peaked in 2020. Templemore was closed as a consequence of Covid. It has now reopened and we expect the total number of gardaí to stabilise this year and begin increasing throughout the year. Some 746 trainee gardaí entered Templemore in 2023, the highest number since 2018. A new recruitment campaign is under way. There are also more Garda staff and better vehicles and equipment, which free up Garda time.