Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 January 2019
254. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated cost of increasing the funding to the Garda National Technical Bureau by 15%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2798/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, there has been unprecedented investment in An Garda Síochána in recent years, in support of the Government’s commitment to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement and provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime.
The resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. This represents an increase of over 6% over the initial allocation for 2018.
Very significant capital investment is also being made in An Garda Síochána. This includes investment of €342 million in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021 to enable An Garda Síochána to deliver on reform and deploy the latest cutting edge technologies in delivering professional policing and security services for the community; investment of €46 million in the Garda Fleet over the same period; as well as considerable capital investment in addressing the deficiencies in the Garda estate.
As the Deputy will appreciate, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for carrying on and managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. Further, the allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Commissioner, in light of the availability of resources and his identified operational demands. As Minister I have no direct role in these matters.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the expenditure for the Garda Technical Bureau Division in 2018 was €6,718,762. Using that expenditure as the basis for the calculation, I am informed that a 15% increase in funding would involve additional funds of approximately €1,007,814 (rounded), for a total of approximately €7,726,576.
