Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 466: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on making the Garda station in Blessington a 24-hour manned station. [9017/06]

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 Blessington Garda station as at 28 February 2006 was 14, all ranks.

I have been further informed that the opening hours of Blessington Garda station are as set out in the following table:

Garda management states that when Blessington Garda station is closed, public access call box, PACB, and call diversion systems are in operation to the divisional headquarters at Naas. The Blessington Garda patrol car is operational between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 a.m. daily and the Naas and Baltinglass Garda patrol cars actively patrol the Blessington sub-district between the hours of 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. daily, the hours when the Blessington Garda patrol car is not operational.

I am further informed that local Garda management do not believe it necessary to extend the opening hours of Blessington Garda station to a 24-hour service and that the extension of the opening hours of Blessington Garda station would require additional personnel being employed on indoor administrative duties who may be more effectively employed on outdoor policing duties.

Garda management further states that Garda personnel assigned to Blessington Garda station, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategy, are continually monitored and reviewed. Such monitoring ensures that optimum use is made of Garda resources, and the best possible Garda service is provided to the general public.

The timescale for achieving the target strength of 14,000 members of the Garda Síochána in line with the commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government remains as when I announced the Government approval in October 2004 for my proposals to achieve this objective. The phased increase in the strength of the Garda Síochána to 14,000 will lead to a combined strength, of both attested gardaí and recruits in training, of 14,000 by the end of this year.

As part of the accelerated recruitment campaign to facilitate this record expansion, 1,125 Garda recruits were inducted to the Garda college during 2005. The college will induct a further 1,100 recruits this year and again in 2007, by way of intakes to the Garda college of approximately 275 recruits every quarter. This project is fully on target and will be achieved. The first incremental increase of newly attested gardaí under the programme of accelerated recruitment will take place on 16 March 2006.

The Garda Commissioner will now be drawing up plans on how best to distribute and manage these additional resources, and in this context the needs of Blessington Garda station will be fully considered within the overall context of the needs of Garda stations throughout the country.