Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 235: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is only one Garda allocated to monitoring speeding for the whole of the Dublin west region; if there are proposals to increase resources for monitoring speeding in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9975/07]

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 An Garda Síochána increased to a record 13,178 following the attestation of 273 new members on Wednesday 14 March, 2007. This compares with a total strength of 10,702 (all ranks) as at 30 June, 1997 and represents an increase of 2,476 (or over 23%) in the personnel strength of the Force during that period. The combined strength (all ranks), of both attested Gardaí and recruits in training as at 14 March, 2007 was 14,258. Furthermore, I should say that on 19 December, 2006, as part of a package of anti-crime measures, the Government approved the continuation of the existing Garda recruitment programme to achieve a total Garda strength of 15,000. The accelerated intake of approximately 1,100 new recruits per annum into the Garda College will continue until this target is met. The Garda Budget now stands at €1.4 billion, an 11% increase on 2006 and a 96% increase since 1997 in real terms.

I have also been informed by the Garda authorities that the Traffic Corps in the DMR West Division, dedicated to the enforcement of road traffic and transport legislation, is made up of one Inspector, three Sergeants and eighteen Gardaí. Members of the Regional Traffic Corps also conduct regular patrols and checkpoints in this Division.

I have been further informed by the Garda authorities that at present there are ten (10) hand-held speed detection devices allocated to the Division for use by members to detect speeding offences.

Garda Management also state that one static camera for the detection of speeding offences is located in the DMR West on the N4 at Lucan. GATSO vans are regularly allocated at various locations within this Division to detect speeding offences.

Following the enactment of the Road Traffic Act, 2006, the procurement procedure for the provision and operation of safety cameras by a service provider was initiated. I am informed by the Garda authorities that it is intended that the service provider will be required to provide all resources including personnel to collect and process all data on speeding obtained by the mobile and fixed safety cameras used. The service provider will also be required to process data collected by the safety cameras currently operated by An Garda Síochána.

In parallel with this process, work is ongoing with the Garda Síochána and the National Roads Authority on identifying locations that either have a speed related collision history or are of a type where a higher than expected frequency of collisions may be expected to occur. Monitoring of driver speeds by the outsourced service provider will focus on these locations.