Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2017
297. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 859 to 861, inclusive, on 20 June 2017, the amount which was allocated in 2017 to deliver on recruitment; the amount allocated to the recruitment of 300 Garda reserves, 800 Garda recruits and up to 500 civilians; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31404/17]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the total Net Vote for An Garda Síochána in 2017, which represents the funding being made available to the Garda Vote minus estimated receipts under Appropriations-in-Aid, is €1.506 billion. This represents an increase of 4.6% when compared to the final net outturn figure of €1.440 billion for 2016. This increase is mainly due to an additional provision in the Garda Pay Subhead to address the Garda Pay Deal under the Lansdowne Road Agreement as well as the recruitment of 800 new Gardaí, some 500 new civilian staff and some 300 Reserve members in 2017.
I would refer the Deputy to the post-reply correspondence in respect of Parliamentary Questions No. 858, 862 and 866 of 3 July 2017, wherein I indicated that the full first year payroll cost of recruiting 800 new Gardaí, 500 new civilian staff and 300 Reserve is estimated at €14,863,029, €21,500,000 and €690,000 respectively.
The high proportion of resources allocated to the Garda Vote underlines this Government’s commitment to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. Key to achieving this goal is the Government’s decision to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians.
