John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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51. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason numbers assigned to the Garda traffic corps continue to decline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5415/18]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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My question to the Minister relates to the reasoning the number of gardaí assigned to the traffic corps continues to decline at a significant rate. The traffic corps, as the Minister will appreciate, plays an important role in terms of both road safety and crime prevention yet we see on a continuous basis that the number of gardaí assigned to it has declined. At what stage will it become ineffective, if this decline continues?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware, as I stated earlier in respect of community policing, that the distribution of gardaí is exclusively the statutory responsibility of the Garda Commissioner.

I have been informed that the strength of the Garda traffic corps on 31 December 2017 stood at 623. In addition, there is one chief superintendent and two superintendents attached to the DMR traffic corps, a superintendent and traffic inspector attached to each of the five regions and one superintendent attached to the policing road traffic bureau. It is important to note that road traffic legislation is enforced as part of the day-to-day duties of all members of An Garda Síochána, as well as through specific enforcement operations.

While there is no room for complacency, I was pleased to note that last year represented the lowest number of road traffic fatalities on record at 159. It is imperative that the positive momentum across road traffic enforcement and road safety initiatives is harnessed towards further annual reductions in fatalities.

By working together with the RSA and other agencies, An Garda Síochána will continue to confront dangerous road-user behaviour through public presence, legislative enforcement, education, information and partnership. The Government is committed to further supporting An Garda Síochána in this regard, including by reversing the effects of the legacy of the moratorium on recruitment introduced in 2010 which resulted in a significant reduction in the strength of An Garda Síochána across the whole organisation, including the traffic corps.

The Government implementation of the plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 is well under way and there is real tangible progress on reaching this goal. Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, just under 1,600 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide, including the traffic corps, as referred to by the Deputy.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his response, but it has not allayed my fears and concerns. I acknowledge there was a significant improvement in road safety last year, but one life lost on the roads is one too many. We all have a role to play in this regard. It is interesting to note that the Road Safety Authority, when it looked at road fatalities for the period 2008 to 2012, found that speeding was a contributory factor in 32% of road fatalities and alcohol in 38%. These are clearly issues of enforcement in which an active Garda traffic corps continues to have a role to play, notwithstanding the improvements that were made last year. In reply to a parliamentary question I tabled, the Minister reiterated that Templemore reopened in 2014 and that recruitment has been ongoing. My specific concern is that he indicated that only 627 gardaí were assigned to the unit in December 2017. Back in 2014, when Templemore was reopening, there were 800 gardaí in the traffic corps. As Templemore has reopened and the Department recruits more personnel, our traffic corps is diminishing. That is my concern.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will appreciate that I do not have a direct role in the distribution of members of An Garda Síochána, nor do I have a direct role in the enforcement of road traffic legislation. These are operational matters for the Garda Commissioner and An Garda Síochána. However, it is important to note that An Garda Síochána undertakes a programme of high-visibility road safety and enforcement operations carried out in partnership with other State agencies. Garda operations specifically target road use behaviour known to contribute significantly to collisions, including driving while intoxicated or using drugs, dangerous and careless driving and the gamut of road traffic legislation, by working closely with the Road Safety Authority and other agencies. An Garda Síochána will continue to confront dangerous road user behaviour thorough public presence, the enforcement of the current legislation, education, information and partnership. I acknowledge the importance of the interdepartmental group on road safety, particularly the ministerial committee on road safety, which I attend regularly along with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross. I assure the Deputy that this committee plays an important role in ensuring best practice on our roads.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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In addition to road safety, the traffic corps has a significant role to play in crime prevention. We are all well aware of rural crime and so forth. The Minister said, quite specifically, that he does not allocate members of the Garda. However, I would like him to reflect on a comment he made in a written reply to me only in November, namely, "The Commissioner has committed in the Policing Plan for 2017 to increase incrementally the number of personnel dedicated to traffic duties by 10% to support better outcomes in relation to road traffic enforcement and crime prevention." Let us consider what happened. In January 2017, there were 669 officers. If the 10% increase, as indicated, had come incrementally, at the end of the year there would have been 735 gardaí assigned to the traffic corps. It continues to be my concern that instead of the 735 officers that the Minister indicated on the advice of the Commissioner, he is now saying we will have 627. I am concerned that the traffic corps continues to be decimated. While we have people being recruited and going through Templemore, the traffic corps is not seeing any of that reflected. Every time a figure is published, it is a decline in the numbers.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will acknowledge that funding has been made available by the Government to ensure we can continue what is a high level of investment in An Garda Síochána. This year a further 800 Garda trainees will enter the college, with 800 also scheduled to attest. This will see Garda numbers reach more than 14,000 by the end of this year. This increase in Garda numbers will facilitate the Commissioner in meeting his commitment to strengthen the numbers assigned to roads policing by 10% year on year. It is not all about numbers. The Commissioner's modernisation and renewal programme places a strong emphasis on the expansion of the role of the traffic corps to include crime prevention and detection on the roads through the setting up of divisional roads policing units. The Commissioner has confirmed that a review of roads policing has been completed and that a new role and job description for additional personnel for road policing units has now been developed. I am advised that regional competitions which will allow for the allocation of additional resources to the divisional roads policing units are ongoing. Garda management plans in the region of 150 additional gardaí to be assigned on an incremental basis to roads policing duties this year in order to support better outcomes in road traffic enforcement and crime prevention.