Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

108. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the €28.6 million allocated to Garda reform as outlined in budget 2018; the amount that has been spent; the way in which the money has been spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27246/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will appreciate that the management of the Garda Vote is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner as the accounting officer for An Garda Síochána and, as Minister, I have no function in relation to the matter.

The Deputy will be aware that as part of the Five Year Reform and High-level Workforce Plan for An Garda Síochána, the Government has agreed an overall vision for a Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 to include 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. To support this, Budget 2018 included provision of €28.6m for Garda Reform to support the continued provision of policing services in 2018 as well as the implementation of Garda reform including resources for the Policing Authority. Predominantly, this allocation will support the recruitment of up to a further 500 civilian staff and 800 trainee Gardaí this year. Further significant funding to support the reform programme is embedded across the overall Garda budget of approximately €1.65 billion for 2018.

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. Taking account of projected retirements, reaching a strength of 15,000 by 2021 will require some 2,400 new Garda members to be recruited on a phased basis for the years 2018 to 2021. Already in 2018, 400 new recruits have entered the Garda College and a further 400 will begin their training before the end of the year. This recruitment is in addition to the just under 2,000 new recruits who have attested as members of An Garda Síochána, including 404 attestations in 2018, and who have been assigned to mainstream duties around the country  since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014. It is anticipated that Garda numbers, taking account of retirements, at year end will amount to approximately 14,000.

Civilianisation is a key element of the reform programme that is being pursued by An Garda Síochána. The projected 4,000 civilians represents a medium-term target of 20% of the Garda full-time workforce comprised of civilians. Real, tangible progress is being made in relation to civilianisation. To date under the reform programme, 292 new civilian positions have been sanctioned, the bulk of which were to address critical skills gaps and capacity issues with a proportion sanctioned to make a start on the redeployment of Gardaí to policing duties. I am informed by the Commissioner that there were 2,289 civilians undertaking administrative and technical duties within An Garda Síochána as of 30 April 2018.

This target of 4,000 civilians by 2021 will be achieved through a twin-track approach of firstly, a “civilian by default” policy to be adopted in relation to the filling of all new posts other than operational policing posts and for non-operational policing posts that become vacant and, secondly, the redeployment of Gardaí to policing roles where their skills can be used to best effect with the backfilling of these roles by suitably qualified civilians where necessary.  The Garda Inspectorate identified some 1,500 posts held by Gardaí that could be examined for suitability for civilian staff.