Dara Calleary
Question:924. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of official Garda vehicles that are attached to Swords Garda district; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17116/13]
View answerTuesday, 16 April 2013
Questions (924)
Written answers
Decisions regarding the provision and deployment of Garda transport are matters for the Garda Commissioner. Responsibility for the efficient deployment of official Garda vehicles in each Division is assigned to the Divisional Officer, who may allocate vehicles between stations, as required by operational circumstances. The Deputy will appreciate that a degree of flexibility in allocating and re-allocating vehicles among stations, so as to best match the allocation of resources with policing priorities, is essential to the efficient management of the Garda fleet. As a consequence it is not practicable to provide a breakdown of Garda vehicles by individual station.
However, I am informed that on 11 April 2013 there were 30 Garda vehicles allocated to the Coolock District, which includes Swords Garda Station. The Deputy will be aware that I made an additional €3 million available to An Garda Síochána towards the end of last year enabling the Commissioner to procure a further 171 Garda vehicles. This brought total investment in the Garda fleet in 2012 to €4 million and resulted in a total of 213 new vehicles being procured during the year. In addition, a further allocation of €5 million has been provided for the purchase and fit-out of Garda transport in 2013. This represents a very considerable financial investment in Garda transport, particularly at a time when the level of funding available across the public sector is severely limited. It is a clear indication of my commitment to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, An Garda Síochána are provided with sufficient resources to enable them to provide an effective and efficient policing service.
Questions Nos. 925 to 927, inclusive, answered with Question No. 923.