Written answers

Tuesday, 28 March 2006

Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform

Garda Deployment

11:00 pm

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 416: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of the 2,000 extra gardaí in the Government's programme for Government which will come to the Gorey district, County Wexford; when they will arrive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12139/06]

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 417: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of the 2,000 extra gardaí in the programme for Government which will come to the Enniscorthy district, County Wexford; when they will arrive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12140/06]

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 418: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of the 2,000 extra gardaí in the programme for Government which will come to the New Ross district, County Wexford; when they will arrive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12141/06]

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 434: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of the 2,000 extra gardaí in the programme for Government which will come to an area (details supplied) in County Wexford; when will they come; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12157/06]

Photo of Michael McDowellMichael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 416, 417, 418 and 434 together.

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 the Garda Síochána as at 31 December 1997 and 20 March 2006 was 10,702 and 12,445 respectively. This represents an increase of 1,743, or 16.3%, in the personnel strength of the Garda Síochána during that period. The personnel strength of all ranks of the Gorey, Enniscorthy, New Ross and Wexford Garda districts as at 24 March 2006 was as set out in the following table:

District No.
Gorey 84
Enniscorthy 46
New Ross 44
Wexford 89

Garda management states that the first incremental increase of probationer gardaí in 2006 took place following the Garda attestations of 15 March 2006. As part of the allocation of these probationer gardaí an additional 11 gardaí were allocated to the Wicklow-Wexford division, ten of whom were allocated with effect from 16 March 2006, with a further probationer garda to be allocated on 18 April 2006. Of these 11 gardaí allocated to the division, two were allocated to the Gorey district, two to the Enniscorthy district, one to the New Ross district and one to the Wexford district.

Garda management further states that it is the responsibility of the divisional officer to allocate personnel within his or her division. In addition, the division's resources are further augmented by a number of Garda national units such as the Garda national immigration bureau, GNIB, the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, and other specialised units.

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. This project is fully on target and will be achieved.

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. The first incremental increase of newly attested gardaí under the programme of accelerated recruitment took place on 15 March 2006.

The Garda Commissioner will now draw up plans on how best to distribute and manage these additional resources, and in this context the needs of the districts referred to by the Deputy will be fully considered within the overall context of the needs of Garda districts throughout the country.

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