Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 January 2019
238. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the contingency plans in place to replace the large number of gardaí out of work due to suffering an injury on duty in view of the fact that overtime is no longer being sanctioned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2442/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the manner in which the resources of the Garda Síochána are deployed is solely a matter for the Garda Commissioner and his management team and I, as Minister, have no direct role in this regard. It is a matter for the Divisional Chief Superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available taking account of those unavailable due to illness/incapacity and having regard to the profile of the area and its specific needs.
I am informed by the Commissioner that, as at 18/01/2019, the number of Gardaí out of work due to injury received while on duty was 149, comprising 12 Sergeants and 137 Gardaí. This amounts to 1% of the total number of Gardaí.
Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, almost 2,400 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. This accelerated recruitment of Gardaí saw Garda numbers reach just over 14,000 by the end of 2018. The Garda Commissioner has also informed me that it is his intention to recruit a total of 600 trainee Gardaí in 2019 along with a net 600 Garda Staff (civilians). The recruitment of these additional Garda staff will allow the Commissioner to redeploy this year a further 500 fully trained Gardaí from administrative duties to the frontline duties for which they are trained.
I believe that the injection of this large number of experienced officers into the field, along with the new recruits, will not only be really beneficial in terms of protecting communities but will also more than adequately make up for those Garda members who have unfortunately been injured on duty.
An Garda Síochána is committed to supporting all employees for medical or recuperative reasons following injury or a period of illness and will continue, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer, to afford all reasonable accommodations in workplace arrangements following periods of absence and on medical advice. Such accommodations may include adapted patterns of working time and modifications of duties to facilitate reintegration into the workplace.
Furthermore, a total budget of €1.76 billion has been provided to An Garda Síochána in 2019 including up to €95 million available for the provision of overtime, an increase of over €100 million on the 2018 allocation. This substantial investment will provide new and leading edge technology to support our front line Gardaí in carrying out their work and increasing visibility in both rural and urban communities.
This and on-going recruitment will clearly provide the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí to deliver a visible effective and responsive policing service to communities across all Garda Divisions.
