Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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311. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí allocated to Douglas Garda station, County Cork; and the number that have been allocated for each of the past eight years. [9427/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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312. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí allocated to Passage West Garda station, County Cork; and the number that have been allocated for each of the past eight years. [9428/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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313. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí allocated to Bishopstown Garda station, County Cork; and the number that have been allocated for each of the past eight years. [9429/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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314. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí allocated to Togher Garda sub district, County Cork; and the number that have been allocated for each of the past eight years. [9430/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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315. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí allocated to Carrigaline Garda station, County Cork; and the number that have been allocated for each of the past eight years. [9431/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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316. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí allocated to Blackrock Garda station, County Cork; and the number that have been allocated for each of the past eight years. [9433/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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317. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí allocated to Anglesea Street sub district Garda station, County Cork; and the number that have been allocated for each of the past eight years. [9434/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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318. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí allocated to Crosshaven Garda station, County Cork; and the number that have been allocated for each of the past eight years. [9435/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 311 to 318, inclusive, together.

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 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.

The Deputy will be aware that Douglas, Passage West, Bishopstown, Togher, Carrigaline, Blackrock, Anglesea Street and Crosshaven Garda Stations are located in the Cork City Division. I am informed by the Commissioner that the strength of the Cork City Division on 31 January 2018, the latest date for which information is currently available, was 666. There are also 42 Garda Reserves and 68 Garda civilian staff attached to the Cork City Division. When appropriate, the work of local Gardaí is supported by a number of Garda national units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Armed Support Units, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

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, of whom 38 have been assigned to the Cork City Division. I am pleased to say that Garda numbers, taking account of retirements, increased to 13,551 at the end of 2017 - a net 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 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 Division, including the Cork City Division.

For the Deputy’s information I have set out below in tabular form the strength of the Garda stations concerned for the years 2010 to 2017 and as of 31 January 2018.

*Up to 31 January 2018

*Up to 31 January 2018

*Up to 31 January 2018

*Up to 31 January 2018

*Up to 31 January 2018

*Up to 31 January 2018

*Up to 31 January 2018

*Up to 31 January 2018