John McGuinness
Ceist:
463. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice the number of civilians holding the position of property and exhibits manager within An Garda Síochána; the Garda stations in which the civilians employed as such are based; if the position is underpinned in legislation; if appropriate training has been provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22697/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra
In order to be of assistance to the Deputy I have sought a report from an Garda Síochána into the issues raised in his question. Unfortunately, the report is not available in time to respond. However, I will contact the Deputy directly when the information sought is available to me.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
I refer to Parliamentary Question Number 463 which was for answer on 5 May 2021, where you requested information regarding the number of civilians holding the position of property and exhibits manager within An Garda Síochána; the Garda stations in which the civilians employed as such are based; if the position is underpinned in legislation; and if appropriate training has been provided.
You will recall that the information could not be obtained in the time available and I undertook to consult with An Garda Síochána and contact you again when the information was available.
As you will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible under the law for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including any decisions in relation to the allocation and training provided to Garda members and staff. As Minister for Justice, I have no direct role in these matters.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that under the Garda workforce modernisation initiative, over 797 Garda members have been released from posts not requiring Garda powers or expertise and their duties reassigned to Garda staff. This has in turn facilitated the redeployment of Garda members to operational duties.
Under this initiative, a number of posts were examined for suitability for assignment to Garda staff, including the property and exhibits management posts. On 27 November 2019, the policy and procedure documentation for the Property and Exhibits Management System part 2 (PEMS 2) was published in a Headquarters Directive and the Garda College commenced training Garda staff in property and exhibits management functions. The first Garda College course commenced in the week beginning 3 February 2020.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that there are currently 27 staff members recorded as property and exhibits manager officers across the country. For operational reasons the Garda authorities do not disclose the locations of these stores.
As assignment of Garda staff to roles in respect of PEMS is continuing, a number of policy and legislative issues are under consideration. While Garda authorities are satisfied with the current legislative framework, additional statutory provisions are being considered as part of the development of new policing legislation.
I trust this information is of assistance.
