Vol. 568 No. 1
680 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of Garda Síochána in the country at present; the number who are currently out on sick leave; the number who are currently on a leave of absence; and the number who are actively on duty. [15683/03]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the personnel strength of the Garda Síochána, all ranks, as at 4 June 2003 is 11,748. On the same date, 431 members of the Garda Síochána were on sick leave and 32 were on career breaks. I have also been informed that details of the number of gardaí who are actively on duty at any one time is not readily available and can only be obtained by the expenditure of a disproportionate amount of Garda time and resources.
