Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Again, on behalf of the Minister for Justice, I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The Minister would like to reassure him that Garda numbers have increased substantially in recent years, from 12,943 Garda members and 1,999 Garda staff in 2016 to 14,283 Garda members and 3,117 Garda staff at the end of August this year. This is an increase in gardaí of more than 10%. There has been an almost 56% increase in Garda staff in recent years.

The Government has made an ongoing and firm commitment to support An Garda Síochána financially and provide it with the resources it needs to support more visible policing. This method will ensure that communities such as Clonmel are safe and that the people in them feel safe. However, I emphasise that, as recommended by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, responsibility for community safety does not rest solely with an Garda or the Department of Justice. It is a whole-of-government responsibility. This principle is the cornerstone of the Government's policy on community safety and, significantly, will be provided for in law by the new policing security and community safety Bill. Under the legislation, when drafted, new, broader local community-safety partnerships will bring all services in the community together at local authority level, replacing the existing joint policing committees to serve as a comprehensive forum for discussion and decisions on community priorities. Three partnerships are currently being piloted and their operational experiences will feed into nationwide policy roll-out following the conclusion of the pilot period at the end of 2023.

I will relay to the Minister for Justice the points the Deputy has raised but I reiterate that, since 31 August 2022, there have been 399 Garda members assigned to County Tipperary. Clonmel district is comprised of five stations with 76 Garda members assigned to it. This represents an increase of more than 4% since end December 2019. The district has been supported by 17 Garda staff, assigned to Clonmel station at the end August this year. I will bring the points the Deputy has raised to the attention of the Minister for Justice. That is the update I have received.

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