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, including civilians, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that personnel assignments throughout the country, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategy, are continually monitored and reviewed and are determined by a number of factors including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each individual Division and Unit. Such monitoring ensures that optimum use is made of Garda resources, and the best possible Garda service is provided to the general public.

I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that as of the 30 April 2016, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were 290 Gardaí, 8 Garda Reserves and 30 civilian staff assigned to the Clare Garda Division.

As the Deputy will be aware, when the financial crisis hit, the Government of the time introduced a moratorium on recruitment and the four year National Recovery Plan, published in 2010, envisaged a steady reduction in Garda numbers. Thankfully, in a recovering economy, we were able to reopen the Garda College in September 2014, and a total of 700 Garda trainees have been recruited with a further 450 planned to be recruited during the remainder of this year. So far 463 of the new Garda trainees have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream uniform duties nationwide. Another 76 will attest on the 7 July with 150 more to attest in November. I am assured by the Commissioner that the needs of all Garda Divisions are fully considered when determining the allocation of newly attested Gardaí and that 13 newly attested Gardaí have been assigned to the Clare Garda Division to date.

This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. Key to achieving this goal is the commitment in the Programme for Government, "A Programme for a Partnership Government" tocontinue the ongoing accelerated Garda recruitment programme with a view to increasing Garda numbers to 15,000, as well as doubling the Garda Reserve and increasing the number of civilian staff so as to free-up Gardaí for front-line policing.

Taking account of projected retirements, the current rate of recruitment will bring Garda numbers to around the 13,000 mark this year. We must, I believe, endeavour to make more rapid progress than this to reach our target of 15,000 and I am engaging with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, in relation to increasing the planned annual intake this year and in coming years. My officials are also engaging with Garda management as a matter of priority in relation to the preparation of a recruitment plan for the next five years that will deliver increased numbers of Garda without compromising the quality of the training and supervision of new recruits.

In relation to civilian staff there is no moratorium per se on recruitment. An Garda Síochána is subject to an employment control framework which sets out the maximum number of civilian staff it may have. It is, however, open to the Commissioner where a need is identified, to seek sanction for the recruitment of additional civilians and I understand that Garda management is currently engaged in a workforce planning exercise to identify critical gaps in its organisation with a view to seeking such sanction. In addition, as mentioned above, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to further increase the number of civilians in order to facilitate the redeployment of Gardaí to front-line policing duties. My officials are also engaged with Garda management in relation to the development of a plan to deliver this commitment over the life time of the Government.