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Garda Resources

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 January 2019

Tuesday, 22 January 2019

Ceisteanna (256, 257)

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

256. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the amount of funding allocated to the traffic corps in each of the years 2006 to 2018 and to date in 2019 in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2816/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

257. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the amount of funding allocated to An Garda Síochána excluding the traffic corps in each of the years 2006 to 2018 and to date in 2019 in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2817/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 256 and 257 together.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána as well as for decisions in relation to the allocation and management of Garda equipment and resources. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

I have asked the Garda Commissioner for the specific information requested and when it to hand, I will write directly to the Deputy.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
I refer to Parliamentary Questions No. 256 and 257 for answer on 22 January 2019 regarding the amount of funding allocated to the traffic corps in each of the years 2006 to 2018 and to date in 2019 in County Mayo; and the amount of funding allocated to An Garda Síochána excluding the traffic corps in each of the years 2006 to 2018 and to date in 2019 in County Mayo.
I undertook to contact the Deputy again when the details were to hand.
As 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, including investment of €342 million in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021; investment of €46 million in the Garda fleet over the same period; and considerable capital investment 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 understand however 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.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Mayo Division is composed of five Districts, namely, Ballina, Bellmullet, Castlebar, Claremorris, Westport and a Divisional Resources centre, each of which has an associated cost centre for the purposes of charging costs. As expenditure is not currently accounted for on an activity basis, it is not possible at this stage to isolate the cost of the Traffic Corps for the Mayo Division from other policing costs over the period, as requested by the Deputy. In that regard, I am informed that developments and new systems including the Roster and Duty Management System (RDMS), currently being piloted by An Garda Síochána, are expected to facilitate the costing of various duties including Roads Policing, subsequent to general roll-out.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table includes the annual cumulative costs (including salary payments) directly attributable to running the Mayo Division for the period 2006 to 2018 inclusive. I am informed that costs for January 2019 are not yet available.
I trust that this information is of assistance.

Year

Expenditure (million)

2006

€21.7

2007

€28.5

2008

€29.0

2009

€28.1

2010

€23.8

2011

€24.5

2012

€23.3

2013

€23.2

2014

€22.9

2015

€24.1

2016

€24.5

2017

€26.3

2018

€28.6

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