Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 200: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the numbers currently employed in the PULSE system located at Davitt House, Castlebar; the breakdown of grade and skill level; the location from which each employee was transferred; the number to be employed; the areas from where calls are received and logged presently; and if he will make a statement on the working of the system to date. [25223/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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There are currently 129 staff employed in the Garda Information Service Centre (GISC) in Castlebar, comprising 1 Principal Officer, 3 Assistant Principals, 11 Higher Executive Officers, 15 Executive Officers, 10 Staff Officers and 89 Clerical Officers. Some 55 employees of the GISC transferred from the Department of Agriculture and Food and were already based in Castlebar, while 30 others were recruited directly through the Public Appointments Service. The remainder of the GISC staff transferred from other Government Departments in locations around the country, including Dublin, Galway and Sligo. It is expected that the GISC will employ over 160 staff when it is fully operational this September.

The facility whereby members of An Garda Síochána can call the GISC and have crime data logged on PULSE is currently operational in the Southern Region (Cork and Kerry), the South-Eastern Region (Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Wexford and Wicklow), and the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) Eastern Division. The system is being rolled-out to other Divisions in the DMR and to the Traffic Corps (DMR) this week, and will be fully operational nationwide in September. I am pleased to say that the operation of the GISC has proved very successful to date. It is already making a major contribution to freeing-up Garda resources for front-line policing duties.