Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

It follows that the planned reduction in public service numbers does not apply to the Garda Síochána. As each cycle of recruit training is completed, the Garda Commissioner will assign these new members to the areas of greatest need with particular regard to certain priorities, including the traffic corps. All personnel assigned to the new traffic corps will have completed the standard training programme.

I am informed that the strength of the Garda traffic corps over the next four years will rise as follows: to 563 in 2005, to 805 in 2006, to 1,030 in 2007 and to 1,200 in 2008. The assignment of 640 extra gardaí to the traffic corps over the next three years will be made possible through the increase of 2,000 in the force's overall numbers over the period. All gardaí have responsibility, inter alia, to enforce road traffic laws. Resources will be deployed in built-up areas, on non-urban regional and local roads, national roads and motorways, to achieve the six strategic objectives for road traffic policing identified in the Strategic Review of Traffic Policing.

See this speech in context