John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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135. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí deployed as part of the Marlay Park concerts; the cost to the State of these deployments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22590/16]

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 resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and Districts, and I as Minister have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keep the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources.

I have been advised by the Garda authorities that, in preparing for the five days of concerts (held between Friday, 8 July, 2016 and Sunday, 17 July, 2016) in Marlay Park, An Garda Síochána held a number of meetings with the event organisers to ensure that appropriate measures were in place for the management of the events and to ensure the safety of those attending. Local Garda management conducted risk-assessments appropriate for each concert taking into consideration the attendance profile, band/entertainer profile and other matters considered relevant. A full operational policing plan and event management plan was prepared by An Garda Síochána and the event organisers prior to each event and reviewed accordingly afterwards.

The Garda authorities have further advised me that local Garda management is satisfied that there were adequate and sufficient Garda personnel deployed to effectively police these events. As the events were held relatively recently, the specific details requested by the Deputy are not readily to hand and I will revert directly to the Deputy when they become available.