Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Seanadóir as an cheist tábhachtach seo, a bhaineann le mo dháilcheantar féin agus le mo chontae féin, a ardú agus deis a thabhairt dom freagra a thabhairt thar ceann an Aire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais os rud é nach féidir leis bheith anseo.

The House will be aware that the Commissioner and his senior management team are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, throughout the country. This allocation of resources is constantly monitored in the context of crime trends, policing needs and other operational strategies in place on a district, divisional and regional level to ensure optimum use is made of Garda resources and the best possible Garda service is provided to the public.

The personnel strength of Donegal Garda division on 31 March 2012, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 435. On the same date there was a total of 13 members attached to the Donegal divisional drugs unit. There were also 25 Garda reserve members and 29 civilians attached to the Donegal Garda division. All divisional resources are further augmented by a number of Garda national units, such as the Garda National Drugs Unit, the Garda National Immigration Bureau, GNIB, the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, and other specialised units.

The Government's approach to tackling the problem of drug misuse is through a co-ordinated and integrated approach under the National Drugs Strategy 2009-16, which is co-ordinated under the remit of my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Róisín Shortall.

The programme for Government affirms the Government's steadfast commitment to tackling the problem of drug misuse through this pillar as outlined in the strategy and in partnership with all relevant stakeholders.

An Garda Síochána's policing plan for this year also sets out key actions for tackling organised crime, including drug trafficking. An Garda Síochána remains fully committed to continuing to vigorously tackle the illegal supply of drugs at all levels.

A key feature of this work is the ongoing close co-operation between the Garda National Drugs Unit and local Garda drugs units to ensure that a co-ordinated and effective approach to drug law enforcement is in place. Both these units are supported in their work by officers from other national units such as the Organised Crime Unit, the Criminal Assets Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation. An Garda Síochána also has strong and strategic partnerships in place at international level targeting drug trafficking.

An Garda Síochána's strategies in tackling drug trafficking are continuing to result in significant drug seizures. An Garda Síochána seized drugs with an estimated value of €65.5 million in 2011 and an estimated value of €11.5 million to March this year. The reduction in drug crime, as reflected in the Central Statistics Office's recorded crime statistics for 2011, shows that there were 17,709 recorded controlled drug offences last year - a decrease of 11.5% on the equivalent figure for 2010. This is a trend that is very welcome and reflects the excellent work of gardaí.

It is apparent from the crime statistics that the Garda authorities are making good and effective use of their resources. An Garda Síochána is determined to maintain a robust response to the evil activities of those who peddle drugs and bring so much misery to our communities. Equally, the Government is determined to do everything it can to support gardaí in their efforts. In this regard, the Minister for Justice and Equality has indicated that he is open to considering any changes in the law which gardaí believe would be helpful in tackling the activities of organised criminals.

Garda management will continue to monitor closely the allocation of resources, taking account of transfers and retirements, crime trends, policing needs and other operational strategies in place on a district, divisional and regional level. The Donegal division will be subject to this same level of monitoring to ensure that optimum use is made of Garda resources and the best possible Garda service is provided to the public. The Garda Commissioner has reiterated the commitment of the Garda Síochána to providing a professional and effective service to the community and he will have the Minister's full support in this regard.