Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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134. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide in tabular form the number of Garda cars attached to each individual Garda station in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28610/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware the provision and allocation of Garda vehicles is a matter for the Garda Commissioner in the light of her identified operational demands and the availability of resources.

Responsibility for the efficient deployment of Garda vehicles in each Division is assigned to the Divisional Officer, who may allocate vehicles between stations, as required by operational circumstances. The Deputy will appreciate that a degree of flexibility in allocating and re-allocating vehicles among stations, so as to best match the allocation of resources with policing priorities, is essential to the efficient management of the Garda fleet. As a consequence it is not fully practicable to provide a breakdown of Garda vehicles by each individual Garda station.

In that context, I am advised by the Garda authorities that the number of Garda vehicles by District within the Donegal Division at the end of June 2013, is set out in the table below:

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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135. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda cars that have been decommissioned in the Milford district in County Donegal because they have reached the 300,000 kilometre mark in terms of mileage in the past six months; the number of cars that have been replaced; her plans to replace those cars which have not been replaced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28612/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware the provision and allocation of Garda transport is a matter for the Garda Commissioner in the context of identified operational circumstances and the availability of resources.

Garda vehicles are retired for a variety of reasons, including where vehicles are considered beyond economic repair or as a result of accidents. Also, I understand from the Garda authorities that the relevant manufacturers have indicated that, for safety reasons, vehicles should be withdrawn from service at certain stages. Accordingly, this is the operational policy that is applied by the Garda authorities. I am advised by the Garda authorities that one vehicle has been decommissioned in the past six months in the Milford District. I am further informed that three new vehicles have been assigned to the Milford District in 2014.

As the Deputy will be aware, a further €9m was secured towards the end of 2013 for investment in the Garda fleet. This investment resulted in the purchase of 305 new Garda vehicles, at a cost of €5 million. These were in addition to the 133 Garda vehicles which had already been procured during the year. I am advised by the Garda authorities that these new vehicles are currently being allocated across Garda Divisions in accordance with operational requirements. The remaining €4 million has been made available for the purchase and fit out of Garda vehicles in 2014.