Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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562. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of personnel assigned to the Garda traffic corps. [1159/18]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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601. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of full-time equivalent dedicated traffic corps members employed in each county in each year since 2008. [1944/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 562 and 601 together.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including to the Roads Policing Units and I, as Minister have no direct role in the matter. I am assured by the Commissioner that Garda 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.

I am informed by the Commissioner that the total strength of the Roads Policing Units on the 30 November 2017, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 643. In addition, there is a Superintendent and Traffic Inspector attached to each of the five Regions outside of the Dublin Metropolitan Region, and one Superintendent attached to the Policing Road Traffic Bureau.

As the Deputy will be aware, 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 to deter crime.  To achieve this the Government has put in place a plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. We are making real, tangible progress on achieving this goal.

I am informed by the Commissioner that since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, just under 1,600 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide.  Garda numbers, taking account of retirements, increased to 13,552 at the end of 2017 - an increase of over 600 since the end of 2016.

I am also pleased that funding is in place to maintain this high level of investment in the Garda workforce to ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track. This year a further 800 new Garda Recruits will enter the Garda College. Also 800 Garda trainees are scheduled to attest during the year which will see Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, reach 14,000 by the end of 2018.

In addition, a further 500 civilians will also be recruited to fill critical skills gaps across the organisation and to facilitate the redeployment of Gardaí from administrative and technical duties to front-line operational duties. There are plans to strengthen the Garda Reserve with new Reserves expected to commence training early in 2018.

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 needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí across every Garda Division, including roads policing in the coming years. 

The Commissioner committed in the Policing Plan for 2017 to increase incrementally the number of personnel dedicated to roads policing  by 10% to support better outcomes in relation to road traffic enforcement and crime prevention.

In this regard the Commissioner has confirmed that a review of the roads policing has been completed and a new role and job description for additional personnel for Road Policing Units has been developed. I am advised that a competition to fill vacancies within Traffic Corps units is ongoing at present. At the conclusion of this competition, additional personnel will be allocated to Traffic Corps duties.

Personnel strength of the Garda Traffic Corps 2008-2017