Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number employed in An Garda Síochána on public service vehicle inspection duties; the number of those who are civilians and members of An Garda Síochána; and the nature of the duties involved. [15809/06]128.

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, all ranks, of the Garda Síochána as at 31 March 2006 was 12,439. This compares with a total strength of 10,702, all ranks, as at 30 June 1997 and represents an increase of 1,737, or 16.2%, in the personnel strength of the force during that period.

I have been further informed that there are a total of 24 gardaí, all ranks, employed as public service vehicles inspectors in the Garda Síochána. There are no civilians employed as public service vehicles inspectors. Garda management states that public service vehicles inspectors carry out the following duties: the issuing of small public service vehicle licences; issuing of large public service vehicle licences; inspecting vehicles involved in serious and fatal accidents where detailed and technical examination is required; the inspection of all Garda vehicles; and the monitoring of all taxis, hackneys, buses etc.

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. A total of 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, 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.

I should also say that 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 be drawing up plans on how best to distribute and manage these additional resources.