Written answers

Wednesday, 5 April 2006

Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform

Garda Deployment

9:00 pm

Photo of Jim O'KeeffeJim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 226: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number involved in dealing with human resources within the Garda Síochána; and the number of these are who are gardaí and civilians. [13661/06]

Photo of Michael McDowellMichael 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 the human resource management and internal affairs divisions at Garda headquarters, as at 4 April 2006, was 88 members of the Garda Síochána, all ranks, and 30 civilian staff.

I wish to point out to the Deputy that significant progress has been made on the implementation of the civilianisation programme approved by Government in 2001. Some 113 civilian finance officers have been appointed and are carrying out the district finance officer duties which were hitherto performed by gardaí. Moreover, the recent establishment of the Garda information service centre, GISC, in Castlebar, which is manned by civilian staff, and the pending transfer of civilian staff from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to the Garda Síochána as civil servants of the State, are significant developments in the context of greater Garda civilianisation.

The establishment of the GISC alone will, when fully operational, allow for the equivalent of up to 300 gardaí to be freed up for frontline outdoor policing duties on a daily basis. A further review of civilianisation possibilities in the Garda Síochána is now under way with a view to securing many more redeployments of desk-bound gardaí to frontline operational duties over the next four years.

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