Catherine Murphy
Question:100. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of WTE civilian Garda staff working in the Garda national cyber crime unit as of 3 April 2024. [15549/24]
View answerWednesday, 10 April 2024
Questions (100)
Written answers
As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, as amended, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the distribution and stationing of Garda members throughout the State, including to specialist units within the organisation. As Minister, I have no role in these independent, operational functions.
The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime. The 2024 allocation provides a budget of over €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána. This is a 25% increase since 2020. This unprecedented budget will strengthen the work of specialist units such as the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau. Furthermore, and as part of Budget 2024's unprecedented allocation, €155 million has been allocated for digital capital investment and IT.
The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB) is tasked with the forensic examination of computer media seized during the course of any criminal investigations. These include murders, cyber-crime, online harassment, computer intrusions, child exploitation offences and any criminal investigation in which computers are seized or may contain evidential data.
GNCCB strategies or initiatives include the establishment of four of six planned regional cybercrime hubs, participating in the Cross Border Joint Agency Task Force and liaising with the National Cybersecurity Centre. The GNCCB continues to engage with Law Enforcement Agencies, the European Union Cybercrime Taskforce and to the EMPACT (EU Commission Policy Cycle) Cyber Attacks. It also provides cybercrime prevention advices to interest groups in local communities.
I have been informed by the Garda authorities that, as of 3 April 2024, there were 11 WTE Garda staff working in the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau.