Senator Darragh O'Brien raised the issue of the strength of the Garda force and station closures and proposed an amendment to the Order of Business, to which I cannot agree. We had a full debate on this issue last week in Private Members' time, which was taken by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter. I will certainly provide the Senator with a briefing on it, which I have been given. As he will be well aware and as was said during last week's debate, the Garda strength is 13,400 and average retirements are 400 per year. It goes without saying that the necessary funding for Garda salaries will be made available even if this means adjustments within the Garda Vote, the wider justice group of Votes or otherwise. In terms of Garda stations, as Senators are aware, this is about smart policing and the most efficient and effective deployment of Garda resources.

I have undertaken an interesting exercise which is to look at the number of crimes recorded in individual Garda stations over a number of years and it is an eye-opener to see how small a number of crimes were reported in some Garda stations. We should also be cognisant that there have been significant advances in modern policing, transport and technology and that the station network must reflect this current situation. Even after the closure of stations in 2013, we will still have 564 stations throughout the country, comparably more than in Northern Ireland or Scotland.

Senator Darragh O'Brien raised a very specific issue, of which I am not aware. I suggest he make the Minister, Deputy Shatter, directly aware of it. That is probably the most appropriate way to deal with it rather than request the Minister to come to the House for debate, since he has just been here.

It is very serious issue. The whole north Dublin area was without cars for half a day.

I accept it is a serious matter and that is why I think the Senator should raise it directly with the Minister. As I said, he was in the House last week but I will certainly ask about getting him to come here for another debate on policing. I am very much open to doing that, as I know many Senators on both sides of the House have sought that. It would be worthwhile having a bigger debate on policing which looks not only at station closures but at smart policing and the effect and impact of policing.

If we look at the crime figures, we see that serious crime levels have decreased. That is not to downplay in any way the serious recent incidents of aggravated burglary that have occurred and caused great concern around the country. It is none the less worth noting that the launch of Operation Fiacla to tackle mobile gangs and burglary has had a significant effect. I am told that between April and December 2012, more than 3,500 persons were arrested and approximately 2,000 persons were charged as part of that operation. Smart policing is having an impact on crime figures. The picture is somewhat more complex perhaps than is being painted. We might have a more reflective debate on the issue when the Minister is available rather than deal with it by way of knee-jerk amendment to the Order of Business, in particular given the recent debate on Fianna Fáil's Private Members'-----

There is nothing knee-jerk about it.

On a point of order, it is not a knee-jerk reaction. Fianna Fáil used its Private Members' time last week to-----

That is not a point of order, Senator O'Brien. Please allow the Deputy Leader to continue without interruption.

I take that back. It sounds like I am dismissing the serious concerns of the Fianna Fáil Party and I am not. This is a serious issue for me also, as it is for all Senators.

Senator Coghlan joined the Taoiseach and Tánaiste in sending good wishes to Pope Benedict XVI on his surprise resignation. Colleagues will be aware that the Taoiseach and Tánaiste made statements in response to the resignation, both of which extended their best wishes to the Pope on his declaration that he intends to step down from office and paid tribute to him, which was shared by colleagues on both sides of the House today.

The President sent the Pope a letter.