Vol. 448 No. 7
8 Mr. O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí in the Garda Síochána as at 1 January 1995; the number of anticipated retirements in 1995; the proposed number of new recruits in 1995; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2699/95]
The strength of the Garda Síochána at 1 January 1995 was 10,837. Three hundred and fifty gardaí will be recruited to the force this year and a total of 430 gardaí will be attested to the force this year, that is, they will have completed the first three phases of training and will have the full powers of a garda. It is anticipated that there will be 492 retirements this year. This level of recruitment is aimed at maintaining the strength of the force at about 11,000 members.
The important requirement is to ensure that the operational strength of the force is optimised. Increasing civilianisation of what are not essentially police duties within the force, together with the introduction of greater information technology, will free up more gardaí to be out on the streets in their primary task, which is the fight against crime. There are now almost 700 civilian employees in the force and that number will be increased by 200 by the end of 1997, releasing an equivalent number of gardaí for operational duties. I also plan to recruit 350 in 1996 and 1997.
Does the Minister agree that the net effect of her reply is that there will be 62 fewer gardaí in the force at the end of 1995 than at the beginning of the year?
My objective is to ensure the availability of the maximum number of gardaí. I am doing this through recruitment of new gardaí and also through the employment of civilians and the introduction of information technology. Gardaí are made available not just by recruitment but also by freeing gardaí from jobs which are not essentially policing duties. I am satisfied that with the programme I have in place and the money that is available the force will be kept at a strength of about 11,000 members.
Will the Minister accept that according to the published Estimates this year the increase is a little more than 2 per cent and that this is inadequate to provide additional gardaí and resources?
This is primarily a statistical question.
It is a statistical question and I would remind the Deputy that the Garda strength and resources in place are what Fianna Fáil put in place when in Government. I am satisfied that the programme I outlined — the recruitment of 350 gardaí in 1995, 350 in 1996 and 350 in 1997, allied to the release of gardaí for duties of the kind the public expect the gardaí to do as a result of the employment of more civilians and the improvement in technology — will ensure that the force is kept at a strength of 11,000. That was also the objective of Fianna Fáil when in Government.
Will the Minister outline what precisely she is speaking about when she says that gardaí are presently doing jobs which are not appropriate to a garda?
Perhaps the Deputy could table another question. The Deputy is aware that the programme of civilianisation is releasing gardaí for crime fighting and crime detection where heretofore they had to spend time writing reports etc., work which is now being done by civilians. I hope that by the end of 1997 there will be approximately 700 civilians in the Garda Síochána on work which can be done by civilians and not by gardaí whom we need on the beat.
Will the Minister accept that her reply is extremely disappointing especially in the light of the probable freeing up of resources from Border security in the wake of the peace process? Will she explain why there will not be more resources available to her Department in the coming year to boost personnel numbers in the Garda at a time when that is clearly desirable and urgently needed?
This is a statistical question, as I outlined, at the outset. Let us move on to Question No. 9.
