Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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107. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the current strength of each specialist unit in An Garda Síochána involved in the fight against all forms of serious crime with regard to the programme for Government commitment on the need to build up to full strength at the earliest opportunity; and the target level for each. [39762/16]

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 I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this 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 am informed by the Garda Commissioner that 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 Garda Division. It is the responsibility of the Divisional Officer to allocate personnel within his/her 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. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. In 2017, funding has been provided for the recruitment of 800 Garda recruits and up to 500 civilians to support the wide ranging reform plan in train in An Garda Síochána. Appointments will also be made to the Garda Reserve of approximately 300.

Taking account of projected retirements, reaching a strength of 15,000 will require some 3,200 new Garda members to be recruited on a phased basis over the next four years in addition to the 1,200 that will have been recruited by the end of this year since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014. This is an ambitious target and will require a continuous pipeline of suitable candidates. I am pleased to say that the recruitment campaign launched by the Public Appointments Service on behalf of the Commissioner last September, the second campaign this year, again received a strong response.

I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that since the reopening of the Garda College, 679 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. I expect that the specialist units will, like all policing activities, benefit as a result of these new resources coming on stream.

For the Deputy's information I have set out below the strength of the specialist units which form Garda Special Crime Operations (formerly National Support Services) as of the 31 October 2016 ( the latest date for which figures are available) as provided by the Commissioner. I am advised that for security and operational reasons the strength of other specialist units, namely: the Armed Response Units, Emergency Response Unit, Special Detective Unit and Security and Intelligence Section, cannot be provided.

Strength of Garda Special Crime Operations 31 October 2016