Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour)
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429. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of additional marked and unmarked Garda cars and vans that each Garda District in the Dublin Region has received from the new Garda vehicles programme that were rolled out this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39380/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Decisions in relation to the provision and allocation of Garda vehicles are a matter for the Garda Commissioner in the light of his identified operational demands and in the light of available resources.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that the information requested by the Deputy for the Garda DMR Region is as shown in the following table:-

Overall, the Deputy will be aware that an additional €3 million was made available towards the end of last year which enabled the Force to procure 171 vehicles. This brought total investment in the Garda fleet in 2012 to €4 million and resulted in a total of 213 new vehicles being procured during the year. Furthermore, a specific allocation of €5 million has been provided for the purchase and fit-out of Garda transport in the current year.

This represents a very considerable financial investment in Garda transport, particularly at a time when the level of funding available across the public sector is severely limited. It is a clear indication of my commitment to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, An Garda Síochána are provided with sufficient resources to enable them to deliver an effective and efficient policing service. In keeping with that approach, I will continue to seek to identify the potential for additional funding for the Garda Fleet. This will, of course, be contingent on expenditure in other areas.