Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 427: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the Garda strength, including all personnel at each Garda station in the Mayo division as of 20 January 2005; his views in respect of the 3,000 overtime hours allocated to County Mayo in the recent high-profile policing operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3556/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I have been informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the personnel strength, of all ranks, of each Garda station in the Mayo division as at 20 January 2005 was as follows:

On Garda resources generally, I am very pleased that the Government has approved my proposal to increase the strength of the Garda Síochána to 14,000 members on a phased basis, in line with a commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government in this regard. This is a key commitment in the programme for Government and its implementation will significantly strengthen the operational capacity of the force.

The Commissioner will now draw up plans on how best to distribute and manage these additional resources. In this context, the needs of the Mayo division will be fully considered within the context of the needs of Garda divisions throughout the country. Clearly, the additional resources will be targeted at the areas of greatest need, as envisaged in the programme for Government. The programme identifies in particular areas with a significant drugs problem and a large number of public order offences, but it will be possible to address other priorities also, such as the need to very significantly increase the number of gardaí allocated to traffic duties as part of the new Garda traffic corps. I have already promised that the additional gardaí will not be put on administrative duties. They will be put directly into frontline, operational, high-visibility policing. They will have a real impact.

In November of last year, I announced that due to careful financial management within the Votes pertaining to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform as a whole, I had made an additional €4 million available to the Garda Commissioner to be expended on targeted Garda operations. This funding provided for, inter alia, an additional 140,000 hours of overtime for the Garda Síochána between November and the end of the year in respect of high-visibility Garda operations. The Mayo division received an allocation of 3,000 overtime hours, out of the additional 140,000 hours, in respect of this new high-profile policing operation. The additional 3,000 hours enabled the delivery of additional operations in areas such as crime patrols and burglary prevention patrols and in additional high-visibility operations in areas such as uniform mobile patrols, traffic management and road safety operations.