As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and Districts and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review.
I have requested the detailed information sought by the Deputy in relation to the number of members of An Garda Síochána seeking transfers to other locations from the Garda Commissioner and as soon as it is to hand I will pass it on to the Deputy.
I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that it is Garda policy that all transfer applications are kept under review. Transfers of Garda personnel are determined by a number of factors including population, crime trends and as the policing needs of each individual Division dictate. Having regard to these criteria, it is not possible to indicate when or if a transfer application will be acceded to.