Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
395. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number and type of Garda vehicles attached to DMR northern division in each of the years 2009 to 2019 and to date in 2020, by division, district and sub-district in tabular form. [9400/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. Further, the allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Commissioner, in light of identified operational demands. This includes responsibility for the allocation of Garda vehicles among the various Garda divisions. As Minister, I have no role in these matters. I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure their optimum use.
The attached spreadsheet in the following link, furnished to me by the Garda authorities, sets out detail of the vehicles allocated to the DMR North Division for the dates requested by the Deputy.
It should be noted that these details relate to the size of Garda fleet in the DMR North Division on the dates requested by the Deputy only; and do not take account of the more than 200 additional community support vehicles recently hired by An Garda Síochána as part of its nationwide response to Covid-19.
Finally and more broadly, the Deputy may be interested to know that significant capital investment is being made in An Garda Síochána, including a total of €46 million specifically for the Garda fleet between 2016 and 2021. This continuing investment is intended to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose fleet and that Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime. Of this investment, a total of €9 million was made available for purchase and fit-out of additional Garda vehicles in 2020. In order to protect the ongoing availability of vehicles and in anticipation of impacts of public health restrictions on motor factory or fit-out workplaces, 94 additional vehicles were purchased by the Garda authorities in March 2020 at a cost of €2.4m. The fit-out cost of these vehicles was €600,000. The allocation of these and all other vehicles in the fleet is entirely a matter for the Commissioner and his management team.
