I commend the work of the men and women of An Garda Síochána in Limerick over the Christmas period and January. I have been speaking to members and representatives of the business community, shoppers, and residents in Limerick city. I am hearing positive feedback to the Christmas policing plan that was put into place by the local Henry Street gardaí over the Christmas period. We had increased visibility of gardaí on the street in the city centre, which really demonstrated the commitment that the gardaí had made to revitalising our city centre and supporting the businesses and the people who live there. The feedback from shoppers and residents was that they felt safer and relaxed and that it led to a positive atmosphere in the city centre over the Christmas period. Unfortunately, because of the limitation on numbers, we are not able to maintain that level of visible policing all year round in Limerick.

However, I highlight the successful scheme that has been rolled out in Cork. In Cork, in November, it was announced that the gardaí were bringing in a permanent high-visibility policing plan for the city centre, deploying 48 additional gardaí to tackle antisocial behaviour, drug dealing and shoplifting that unfortunately can take hold in urban centres across the country. I ask the Minister to please come in and give us an update on that plan in Cork, which we hear reports of the success of, and how he hopes, in time, to roll that out across the country. Indeed, we would like to see it being rolled out in Limerick as soon as possible.