Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 530: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the urgent need to substantially increase Garda strength and extend station opening hours at the various Garda stations throughout County Kildare with a view to seriously combating the growth in serious crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9248/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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As of 31 January 2008, the latest date for which figures are readily available, the personnel strength of the Carlow/Kildare Garda Division was 403. The Deputy will appreciate that, as with any large organisation, on any given day, personnel strengths of individual stations may fluctuate due, for example, to promotions, retirements and transfers.

It is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner to allocate personnel throughout the Force taking everything into account. The next allocation of Probationer Gardaí is due to take place on 13 March next. In that regard, the needs of Garda Stations throughout County Kildare will be fully considered by the Commissioner within the overall context of the needs of Garda Stations and Divisions throughout the country.

The opening hours for each station in the Carlow/Kildare Garda Division are as set out in the table hereunder:

Outside of these hours, the call diversion system and Public Access Call Box (P.A.C.B) are in operation and linked to the District Headquarters. Opening hours of non 24 hour Garda Stations are dependent on manpower availability on a daily basis.

An increase in the opening hours of these Stations would necessitate the employment of additional Garda personnel on indoor administrative duties who may be more effectively employed on outdoor policing duties.

I recently approved the 2008 Garda Annual Policing Plan and laid it before the Houses of the Oireachtas. It sets out the Commissioner's proposals to realign the boundaries of Garda Divisions around the country to make them coterminous with local authority boundaries. Included in this is a plan to establish a new Garda Division in Kildare. The planned changes will bring about greater efficiencies and effectiveness in facilitating the establishment and functioning of Joint Policing Committees. A detailed programme of work is currently being developed by An Garda Síochána to implement these planned changes for various Garda Divisions. This programme of work will also examine the geographical areas of district and sub-district stations arising from the regional and divisional boundary realignments set out in the plan and will set out a timetable for the establishment of the new divisions.