Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I cannot accept the proposed amendment. It is not appropriate or necessary. The Europol national unit a the unit of the Garda Síochána as much as the crime policy and operational support units are units of it. The staffing of any unit within the force is a matter for the Garda Commissioner in accordance with his functions under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Assignments may change from time to time and it is up to the Commissioner to determine the appropriate staffing arrangements within the force at a particular time. For this reason, the amendment is not appropriate, given the functions of the Commissioner under the 2005 Act. Moreover, the amendment is not necessary. I assure the Senator, however, that there is no secrecy about the number of gardaí serving within the national unit. I am happy to inform the House that there is currently one detective sergeant and two detective gardaí attached to it. The unit comes under the direction of the head of the Europol national unit who is a detective chief superintendent. Should the Senator wish to check the number of staff in the unit at a later date, he may inquire through my Department. I regard this as a completely unnecessary amendment.