I wish to raise the issue of Garda numbers in Cork city. I know it is a concern shared by the Taoiseach. There are 668 gardaí serving in Cork city. This is 9% down on the position three years ago. Despite the fact that many public representatives have raised the issue, including in the Dáil, the situation has got worse. After the recent attestation from Templemore, we received three gardaí. This follows on from an attestation in March when we also received three gardaí. On this occasion, Dublin received 70. Dublin's population is not 20 times that of Cork, so there is a disconnect there, a disproportionate allocation and an inequality in that. I ask the Taoiseach to take this matter up. I know he shares my concerns about this and we have both spoken to the Minister for justice about it but, unfortunately, the Garda Commissioner does not appear to be listening, so we have to do more to get a fair allocation.

The sufficiency of the number of gardaí across the country, in Cork city and county in particular, is an ongoing issue. As of 31 April, there are 1,281 gardaí working in Cork city and Cork county. Of these, 664 are assigned to Cork city and 616 to Cork county. Since 2015, more than 300 probationer gardaí have been assigned to stations in County Cork, including seven from attestation in March and five from last week's attestation. That is what I am told, although some people have said three. We need increased numbers in Cork and indeed across the country. It is very clear that the Garda's prioritisation and the Commissioner's prioritisation has been the Dublin area. In fact, many Dublin Deputies have commented on the increased presence of gardaí on the streets of Dublin. We need to see that all over the country.