Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Will the Leader invite the Minister for Justice and Equality to the House to discuss the allocation of Garda numbers to the various divisions? I know it is a reserved function of the Garda Commissioner to allocate the numbers but the reasoning behind it needs to be explained. I am delighted with the 550 additional recruits and the high quality of the work done by the Garda Síochána.

In the context of the British-Irish Council a few weeks ago, Senator Paul Coghlan recommended setting up a task force in the Border area to investigate criminality such as diesel laundering and smuggling. There are extra needs in the Border area. Allocation of gardaí should be based on population, crime levels and, in the Border areas, on the specific problems of those areas. It is not a Border problem but a national problem located in those areas. The allocation of 279 gardaí to the Louth division is totally inadequate to the needs of the area relative to other divisions and the numbers in them.

I do not believe this is being done out of any badness. It is an historic deficit because years ago a special number of Garda and Army personnel was allocated to the Border areas in addition to the ordinary deployment. Since the Good Friday Agreement and the ceasefires, that has changed and account has not been taken of the criminal aspects such as cigarette smuggling and diesel laundering. There is a need for extra resources in addition to the ordinary complement for each division.