Garda Data

Tuesday, 17 April 2018

Ceisteanna (65, 70, 76, 79, 80, 89, 581, 582)

Eugene Murphy

Ceist:

65. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits assigned to each Garda station in counties Longford and Roscommon in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16582/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Pat the Cope Gallagher

Ceist:

70. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits assigned to each Garda station in County Donegal in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16567/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Marc MacSharry

Ceist:

76. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits assigned to each Garda station in counties Sligo and Leitrim in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16565/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Shane Cassells

Ceist:

79. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits assigned to each Garda station in County Meath in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16573/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony

Ceist:

80. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits assigned to each Garda station in west County Cork in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16551/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

James Lawless

Ceist:

89. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits assigned to each Garda station in County Kildare in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16575/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

James Browne

Ceist:

581. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits assigned to each Garda station in County Wexford in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16585/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Brendan Smith

Ceist:

582. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits assigned to each Garda station in counties Cavan and Monaghan from 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16569/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

I propose to take Questions Nos. 65, 70, 76, 79, 80, 89, 581 and 582 together.

As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources.

When appropriate, the work of local Gardaí is supported by a number of Garda national units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Armed Support Units, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

I can assure the House that the Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and to deter crime. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, including 15,000 Garda members.

Real, tangible progress has been made towards this goal. Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, increased to 13,551 at the end of 2017 - a net increase of over 600 since the end of 2016.

The closure of the Garda College by the Government of the day in 2010 and the moratorium imposed at that time had a negative impact on Garda numbers across all Divisions and we continue to be negatively impacted by the legacy of the recession. Since when my Party took office in 2011 following the severe economic crash, we, along with our partners in Government, set about existing the bailout, stabilising the economy and returning to growth and job creation. We reopened the College in September 2014 and since then just under 1,800 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and are performing mainstream duties nationwide.

I am pleased that funding is in place to maintain this high level of investment in the Garda workforce. This year a further 800 new Garda Recruits will enter the Garda College. In total, 800 Garda trainees are scheduled to attest during the year, 200 of whom attested last month. Further, Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, are on track to reach 14,000 by the end of 2018.

This focus on investment in personnel is critical. We are now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí. Undoubtedly, the ongoing recruitment process will support all Garda activities and enhance visibility within our communities and will enable the Commissioner to provide additional resources across every Garda Division, as new Garda recruits continue to come on stream.

I have set out in the attached spreadsheet the number of new Garda Recruits allocated to each station in the Roscommon/Longford, West Cork, Sligo/Leitrim, Donegal, Meath, Kildare, Cavan/Monaghan and Wexford Garda Divisions, in each of the years 2014 and to date in 2018 as supplied by the Commissioner.