Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 235: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the new Garda district headquarters at Leixlip, County Kildare, is manned by 31 gardaí and a superintendent but that no inspector has been appointed to date; if he will raise this matter with the Garda Commissioner with a view to having this flow in the command structure rectified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35334/09]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 236: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, further to Parliamentary Question No. 76 of 24 September 2009, if he will raise with the Garda Commissioner the wide disparity in Garda levels in the various Garda divisional areas that is based on historical manning levels and not on the population or crime figures; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Kildare division has the highest population to garda figure at 580 to one, that Kildare has had the highest increase in headline crime and the lowest detection rate of such crime, and if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that the national average of population to garda is 343 to one, and if it is his policy to reassign manning levels to ensure gardaí are stationed where they are most needed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35335/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 235 and 236 together.

Leixlip Garda Station forms part of the Kildare Division. I have been informed by the Garda authorities that on the latest date for which figures are readily available the total strength of Kildare Division was 321, which includes 3 Inspectors. It should be noted that Inspectors have a Divisional remit. The strength of Leixlip Garda Station on the latest date for which figures are readily available was 34. The strength of Leixlip Garda Station on 31st August 2006, at which time it was part of the DMR West Division, was 24 Gardaí (all ranks). This shows an increase of 10 (or 41%) in the number of personnel allocated to Leixlip Garda Station since August 2006.

The Garda Commissioner, in consultation with his senior managers and Divisional Officers, arranges for the allocation of Garda personnel throughout the State. Garda Management are aided in this by a distribution model known as the Garda Establishment Redistribution Model (G.E.R.M.). The Commissioner advises me that the GERM model indicates the most effective means to distribute Garda personnel and acts as a guide to Garda management decision making. It takes into account many different policing variables including socio-economic factors, census information, crime trends and the minimum establishment required for each district. The allocation of Garda personnel is determined by these factors and the policing requirements of each individual Division