Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Question:210. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda vehicles attached to the Cork city division that are ten years old or older. [20487/19]
View answerTuesday, 14 May 2019
Questions (210)
Written answers
There has been unprecedented investment in An Garda Síochána in recent years. The allocation to An Garda Síochána for 2019 is €1.76 billion. Significant capital investment is also being made, including a total of €46 million for investment in the Garda fleet between 2016 and 2021. This continuing investment is intended to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose fleet and that Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime.
As the Deputy will appreciate, in accordance with Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 as amended, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. Further, the allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Commissioner, in light of his identified operational demands. This includes responsibility for the allocation of Garda vehicles among the various Garda divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in that matter. I understand however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure their optimum use.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that as of 8 May 2019 there are 126 vehicles attached to the Cork City Division, as outlined in the following table.
|
Cork City Division |
Cars |
Vans |
Motorcycles |
4 x 4 |
Other* |
Total |
|
Total |
87 |
19 |
8 |
3 |
9 |
126 |
[*Other are vehicles in the Garda Fleet which do not fall under the previous four categories, e.g. MPV, SUV, Minibus and Prisoner Conveyance Vehicles.]
I am further informed by the Garda authorities that a total of 15 vehicles in the Cork City Divisional fleet are 10 years of age or more, namely 9 cars, 2 vans and 4 other vehicles. This represents under 12% of the Cork City Divisional fleet.
Garda management indicates that a comprehensive service, repair and maintenance programme is in place to ensure that all vehicles in the Garda fleet are operating in accordance with manufacturer specifications and that all vehicles are operated up to the manufacturer’s durability limits (generally 300,000km) or up until uneconomic repair, irrespective of age.