Written answers

Thursday, 18 October 2012

Department of Justice and Equality

Garda Transport Provision

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide detailed up to date information on the current Garda vehicle fleet, including the manufacturer, model and current distribution of vehicles by district and division; the current arrangements governing the use of Garda vehicles, including the upper acceptable mileage and upper acceptable age for use as Garda vehicles; the number of vehicles which are nearing these upper limits currently in use; his plans to purchase new vehicles in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45376/12]

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The provision and allocation of Garda resources, including transport, is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. In turn, at Garda Divisional level, the allocation of Garda vehicles is a matter for the Chief Superintendent who may make and revise arrangements for the deployment of vehicles throughout the Division in response to policing demands.

This flexibility in allocating and re-allocating vehicles among stations, so as to best match the allocation of resources with policing priorities, is crucial to the efficient management of the Garda fleet. As a consequence, the Deputy will appreciate that it is not practicable to provide details of permanent allocations of Garda vehicles. However, I am informed by the Garda authorities that the current Garda fleet consists of 2,457 vehicles, comprised of a number of makes/models, including: Ford Mondeo, Focus and Fiesta and Toyota Avensis and Corolla.

Garda vehicles are retired for a variety of reasons, including where vehicles are considered beyond economic repair or as a result of accidents. I understand from the Garda authorities that the relevant manufacturers have indicated that, for safety reasons, patrol cars should be withdrawn from service when the odometer reading reaches 300,000 kilometres. Accordingly, this is the operational policy that is applied by the Garda authorities. Based on current usage, it is estimated that 145 vehicles may be retired between now and the end of the year.

As the Deputy will be aware, I recently announced a substantial additional investment in Garda transport, with funding of approximately €3 million being made available for the purchase of new vehicles. Arrangements for the provision of these vehicles are currently being made and it is anticipated that 170 new cars will come on stream in December and January.

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