Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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114. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the full-year cost of a net increase of 500 in the number of fully qualified members of An Garda Síochána. [45648/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Garda Commissioner is the Accounting Officer for the Garda Vote and in that context I am informed by the Garda authorities that after 32 weeks of training, Garda recruits are attested and move on to the first point of the Garda pay scale €23,171 rising to a maximum of €45,793 per annum after 19 years. They may also qualify for other allowances depending on their assignments.

The annual cost of 500 new Garda recruits in their first year (assuming an attestation date of 1^stJanuary) is €12.8m. This figure includes Employer's PRSI but excludes any allowances which the members may qualify for following attestation. The annual cost will obviously increase as the members move up the Garda pay scale each year.