Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1021. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of new marked Garda vans that came into the fleet in 2022 and to-date in 2023, in tabular form; and the number of marked vans withdrawn from the fleet during the same period. [18049/23]
View answerThe the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose, policing service. Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, of which €10m has been allocated for investment in the Garda fleet.
As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the purchase, allocation, and effective and efficient use of Garda vehicles. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.
I am however assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.
The table below, which was provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of marked Garda vans allocated to and removed from the Garda Fleet in 2022 and in 2023 up to 31 March.
|
Marked Garda Vans |
2022 |
2023 up to 31 March |
|
ALLOCATED |
15 |
0 |
|
REMOVED |
21 |
1 |
I am also advised by the Garda authorities that at 31 March 2023, the latest date for which figure are available, there were 3,381 vehicles attached to the Garda fleet.
This represents an increase of 2% since end December 2022, when there were 3,312 vehicles attached to the Garda fleet.
The Deputy may also wish to be aware that An Garda Síochána publish information on Garda fleet, including a Divisional/District monthly breakdown, on their website at:
www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/finance-services/finance-fleet-management.html
