Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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20. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda reservists in the Tipperary Garda division. [27401/16]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Eugene Murphy asked a very similar question and the Minister gave a detailed answer. I want to focus on the drop in the number of Garda reservists. From 2014 to this year, the number has dropped by 30% from 42 to 26, which is alarming. The Minister gave a detailed response on the future role of Garda reservists but I would like to focus on the drop in the number in our division.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I confirm that 25 reservists are assigned to the division in the Deputy's area. The allocation of reservists is an operational decision by the Commissioner. One of the initiatives being examined in the review of the role of the reservists is the possibility of recruiting locally rather than centrally. This may well be very worthwhile in terms of local interest and people can be encouraged to apply.

As I stated to Deputy Cahill's colleague, we are going to double the number. This will start from the middle of next year. The number has been depleted in part because the Public Appointment Service was focusing as a priority on recruiting members of An Garda Síochána. We now have a focus very much back on doubling the reserve as we have the commitment in the programme for Government. The review is ongoing. The Garda Commissioner has announced the extension of some powers for the Garda reservists. We must ensure that in the first instance Garda reservists are doing work which is helpful to An Garda Síochána, that they are getting job satisfaction and that the work adds to the safety of local communities. The review of the job description is timely given that recruitment will start next year and the Reserve will be doubled. It can only benefit communities, such as the Deputy's, when we will have an increased number of reservists available to be deployed throughout the country.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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The Garda Inspectorate report on changing policing policy in Ireland published just before Christmas pointed out that despite receiving considerable training, reservists are not consistently or strategically used for operational purposes. I welcome the Minister's comments that attempts are being made to improve this. Recruiting reservists locally would be a good initiative and would make the reservists more focused on their area. Recruitment is key. The number in our division is not satisfactory. I respect the Minister's remark that it is outside her brief but I would like her to highlight the drop in the number. A 38% drop over the period in time is significant. I thank the Minister for her comments. She gave a very good briefing to Deputy Eugene Murphy earlier on what she will do.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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We must ensure the roles are properly outlined and consistent. In recent years, the Garda Commissioner has conferred further powers on members of the Garda Reserve under the Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994 and the Road Traffic Act 1961. She also decided they should carry out more duties, including serving summonses and issuing fixed charge penalty notices where offences are detected. In my experience of meeting reservists, they are very enthusiastic and interested. Some want to go on to be members of An Garda Síochána and others do it because they want to make a contribution to the community. They are particularly interested in being members of the Reserve but not full-time members of An Garda Síochána. There is much potential for voluntary action by people interested in policing. With the new recruitment, the audit being done and an examination of the training that is best, we will see the progress Deputy Cahill and his colleagues have outlined they would like to see.