The number of gardaí has fallen every year since the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, has been in office. Gardaí have been retiring and resigning in bigger numbers than ever before. They are being attacked every day. Recruitment is on the floor. Rape, sexual assault, violent crime and domestic violence are all increasing significantly. The number of gardaí in the traffic corps has fallen by 40% in just 12 years, leading to a spike in road deaths. Prisons are jammed at the moment and the criminal justice system is in freefall. Today we see the dysfunction at the top of the justice system crystallised further with the Minister snubbing the annual conference of the Garda Representative Association, GRA. For a Minister who barely survived the Cabinet reshuffle, it is incredible that she is presiding over a worsening crisis at the top of An Garda Síochána. The GRA has said that Garda morale is on the floor. Gardaí are telling me that the force is being run like a dictatorship. They say there is no engagement and that they are being forced to work with their hands tied behind their backs.

Your time is up, Deputy.

Why is the Minister not engaging with senior Garda management and Garda representatives, either formally or informally?

While there are always difficulties and challenges in every situation, including in the force, we need a bit of balance in our commentary. Everything is not "on the floor"; everything is not disastrous. The Government has increased the training allowance and has increased the age of entry to An Garda Síochána from 35 to 50. We want to grow the force to 15,000 members and beyond. There were approximately 319 retirements and 169 resignations in 2023 but 746 trainees entered Templemore last year, the highest intake since 2018. Recruitment is not on the floor.

It is-----

It needs to recover, particularly due to the closure of Templemore during the Covid period.

The Minister snubbed the GRA

There is a whole background to that situation. It is not a snub.

She refused the invitation.

I do not see why, generally speaking, the Garda Commissioner would not be invited. Let us get back to normal.

Why is she not forcing engagement?

We can have disagreements but people should always maintain dialogue, should always engage, and the common courtesies of life should always apply, in my view.

She is refusing to engage.

I am not talking about the Minister. The Deputy knows why; he knows the background to it.

Deputy Ó Murchú is next.

I am not saying that she should not-----

Deputy, please let the next Deputy have the floor.