Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy asked a number of questions. In the past four years, the Garda budget has increased by 25%. It now stands at €2.35 billion. We have 14,100-plus Garda members and 3,200 Garda staff. The Garda Reserve has been established, and 1,800 applications were received as part of the first recruitment campaign. Every garda on the beat has a hand-held device. This means that they can remain on the beat and do not have to return to their stations. There has been significant investment in ICT, with €155 million being spent this year and a capital budget of €346 million being spent up to 2027. There has been huge investment in gardaí and in strengthening legislation. Measures relating to the latter include: introducing body-worn cameras; making it easier for people to roll-out CCTV in communities across the country; and giving gardaí tools like facial recognition to access information more quickly. We have also put in place measures to support and protect gardaí in difficult, challenging and changing times. These include an increase in penalty for any person who assaults a member of An Garda Síochána. The courts have seen significant investment, with the addition of 30 judges and 20 more to come, while rolling out a modernisation programme that will make sure it works in the most efficient and effective manner.

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