Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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472. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of the new Garda recruits who will be employed in the Ballymun and Santry Garda stations, Dublin 9. [11570/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. 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.

I have however been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the personnel strength of Ballymun Garda District which covers Santry and Dublin Airport on 31 December 2014, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 227. There are also 22 Garda Reserves and 15 civilians attached to the District. Resources are further augmented, where necessary, by a number of Garda National Units such as the Garda National Drugs Unit (GNDU), the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and other specialised units.

The first intake since 2009 of 100 new recruits entered training at the Garda College, Templemore, on 15th September 2014. As part of Budget 2015, a further intake of 200 recruits in two batches was announced. On 15 December 2014, the first 100 of these batches commenced their training. The remaining 100 entered the college in early February. This will bring to 300 the number of recruits in the Garda College and is a measure of the Government's commitment to ensure that recruitment to An Garda Síochána continues seamlessly. The September intake will attest as members of the Garda Síochána in May 2015 and the December intake will attest in August 2015. On attestation they will be assigned to Garda stations throughout the country by the Garda Commissioner and the needs of Raheny Garda District will be fully considered.