Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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145. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to fill vacancies at the rank of Superintendent and Chief Superintendent in the near future. [28669/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of personnel among the Garda Regions, Divisions and Districts, the various Garda national units and of course Garda Headquarters. Garda management keep this distribution under continuing review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources. This necessary ongoing flexibility in the distribution of personnel means that it is not feasible to identify specific vacancies within specific areas of the Force.

At a national level, sanction has been given by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for a maximum strength in each rank. The agreed strengths for ranks above Garda rank are given in the table below, together with current actual strength (as of the end of April 2014). Where current actual strength is below the approved maximum strength, it is the Garda Commissioner who will make the necessary arrangements to have the balance of posts filled through promotion competitions.

Recent promotion competitions were held to fill vacancies at the ranks of Inspector and Sergeant respectively. It is expected that appointments from these panels will be made in the very near future.

* to be reduced to 8 on the appointment in 2014 of an Executive Director of Human Resources and People Management

**acting Commissioner

***D/Commissioner is Acting Commissioner