The resources provided by government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation of €1.88 billion in 2020 and of €1.952 billion in 2021. This has enabled sustained, ongoing recruitment.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the general management and administration of Garda operations under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. This includes the deployment of members of An Garda Síochána throughout the State. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions.
My Department publishes statistics monthly on the number of Gardaí deployed in every division on my Department's website.
As at 30 April 2021 there were 302 Gardaí assigned to the Sligo/Leitrim Division which represents an increase of 2.7% since 2015, when there were 294 Gardaí assigned to the Division. These Garda members are supported by 45 Garda staff, which represents an increase of over 66% since 2015.
As the Deputy will appreciate, Garda numbers can be affected by a number of factors, including retirements, medical discharges and resignations. There has been a decrease in the number of Gardaí assigned to Sligo/Leitrim Division from 318 Gardaí in April 2020 to 302 in April 2021.