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. I am assured by the Commissioner that the allocation of Gardaí is continually monitored and reviewed taking into account all relevant factors including crime trends, demographics, and security assessments relating to the area in question so as to ensure optimal use is made of Garda human resources. It is the responsibility of the Divisional Officer to allocate personnel within his or 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.

This plan is progressing well. This year, 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. Funding has also been provided for the recruitment of 300 Garda Reserves.

I am informed by the Commissioner, since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, that 981 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. I am also informed that another 600 trainee Garda are scheduled to attest this year which will see Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, increase to around the 13,500 mark by year end - an increase of 500 since the end of 2016.

This focus on investment in personnel is critical. The moratorium on recruitment introduced in 2010 resulted in a significant reduction in the strength of An Garda Síochána. We are now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Commissioner with the resources she needs to allow her to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí across every Garda Division, including the Dublin Metropolitan Region Divisions in the coming years.

I am informed by the Commissioner that the number of new Gardaí assigned to each Division in the D.M.R. Region each year following the resumption of Garda recruitment in 2014 and the strength of each of the Divisions concerned in September 2014 and on 31 March 2017, the latest date for which figures are readily available, is as set out in the following tables.

Number of new Gardaí assigned to each Division in the D.M.R. Region

Division	2015	2016	2017	Total
D.M.R. East	9	19	14	42
D.M.R. North	19	33	23	75
D.M.R. North Central	22	43	28	93
D.M.R. South	18	35	28	81
D.M.R. South Central	19	44	29	92
D.M.R. West	30	35	23	88

Strength of each Division in the D.M.R. Region

Division	Sept 2014	March 2017
D.M.R. East	394	379
D.M.R. North	689	662
D.M.R. North Central	614	598
D.M.R. South	551	536
D.M.R. South Central	649	609
D.M.R. West	707	660

*As of 31 March 2017