John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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59. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she is aware of the decrease in Garda Síochána resources in the Greystones district of County Wicklow. [18592/16]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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60. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if and when she will replace the Garda Síochána recruits who have left the Greystones district in County Wicklow. [18593/16]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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61. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will consider redirecting the next phase of new recruits to the Garda Síochána to the Greystones district in County Wicklow to ensure that it is properly resourced. [18594/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 to 61, inclusive, together.

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 continual review taking into account crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources. In regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used which takes into account all relevant factors including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each individual Division. It is the responsibility of the Divisional Officer to allocate personnel within his/her Division as appropriate.

I am assured by the Commissioner that personnel assigned throughout the country, together with the overall policing arrangements and operational strategies are continually monitored and reviewed. Such monitoring ensures that optimum use is made of resources and the best possible policing service is provided to the general public.

Greystones Garda Station lies in the Garda District of Bray, which in turn forms part of the Garda Division of Wicklow. I have been informed by the Commissioner that the distribution of members of An Garda Síochána in the Wicklow Division on 30 April 2016, the latest date for which figures are to hand, was as set out in the table.

The Wicklow Division is also supported by 24 members of the Garda Reserve and 21 civilian staff. All Divisional resources are further augmented by a number of Garda national units such as the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and other specialised units.

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 851 Garda trainees have been recruited with a further 300 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 so far this year 10 newly attested Gardaí have been assigned to the Wicklow Garda Division.

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.

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.