Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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266. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new marked and unmarked Garda cars, vans and marked motorcycles that were allocated to the roads policing unit in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3017/19]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion.  This represents an increase of over 6% over the initial allocation for 2018.

Very significant capital investment is also being made in An Garda Síochána, including investment of €342 million in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021 to enable An Garda Síochána to deliver on reform and deploy the latest cutting edge technologies in delivering professional policing and security services for the community; and significant investment is also being made to address the deficiencies in the Garda estate.

The Deputy will be aware that the Government's Capital Plan 2016 – 2021 provides €46 million for investment in the Garda fleet, to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose fleet.  This is in addition to the investment of almost €30 million in the fleet in the period 2013 to 2015.

As the Deputy will appreciate, decisions in relation to the provision and allocation of Garda vehicles across the various Garda divisions are a matter for the Commissioner in light of his identified operational demands and the availability of resources. As Minister, I have no direct role in that matter. 

I understand however that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that a total of 40 vehicles were allocated for Roads Policing duty in 2018, comprising 5 marked cars, 4 marked motorcycles and 31 marked 4 x 4 vehicles.