Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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154. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons per garda in 2015 and 2016 and to date in 2017, by division, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30371/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and Units 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 resources.

The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department as the recording of the population by area is a matter for the Central Statistics Office. I am, in any case, advised that ratios such as the number of Garda per head of population are not an appropriate tool to use when considering the allocation of Garda resources as they fail to take account of, among other things, the fact that crime levels and types can vary significantly among communities of similar population size.