Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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59. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if extra funding is being made available for Garda resources in the Cavan-Monaghan division in 2019 and 2020; if extra gardaí have been allocated; the details by district in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26669/19]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. Very significant capital investment is also being made in Garda ICT, the Garda fleet and the Garda estate - in total, the Garda capital allocation has increased from €61 million to €92 million in 2019, which represents a 50% increase.

In accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. It is a matter for the Commissioner to efficiently manage the significant resources which have been provided and to determine the allocation of budgets to all regions, including the Northern Region and all Divisions, including Cavan/ Monaghan Division, based upon operational requirements.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the table below sets out the vehicles attached to the Cavan/Monaghan Division, broken down by District, as of 20 June 2019.

*The category 'others' refers to MPV, SUV, Minibus or Prisoner Conveyance Vehicles

With regard to the fleet, the Deputy may further wish to be aware that a total of €10 million has been made available for the purchase and fit-out of Garda vehicles in 2019. I understand from the Garda authorities that this allocation will be used for purchase and fit-out of over 300 new vehicles for operational use this year.

I am further informed by Garda management that the Garda strength of the Cavan/Monaghan Division on 31 May 2019 (the latest date for which figures are readily available) was 365. There are also 8 Garda Reserves and 42 Garda Staff attached to the Division.

Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, almost 2,800 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. Of this total, 100 have been assigned to the Cavan/Monaghan Division, with 10 assigned from the last allocation on 7 June 2019.

This and ongoing recruitment will clearly provide significant additional policing hours throughout the country, both in terms of the increase in new Gardaí and the redeployment of Gardaí to frontline policing duties due to civilianisation of their current roles. I believe that the injection of this large number of experienced officers into the field, along with the new recruits, will be greatly beneficial in terms of protecting communities and will provide the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí to deliver a visible effective and responsive policing service to communities across all Garda Divisions, including Cavan/Monaghan Division.

For the Deputy’s information, the attached spread-sheet supplied by the Garda authorities sets out the breakdown by Division of the total number of Gardaí assigned to the Cavan/Monaghan Division as on 31 May 2019, the latest date for which figures are currently available.

Cavan/Monaghan

The number of newly attested Gardaí allocated t the Cavan/Monaghan Division since the recommencement of recruitment to date

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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60. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to tackle serious crime, cross-Border crimes and rural crime in view of concerns raised relating to these areas by organisations representing gardaí. [26880/19]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that investing in the capacity of An Garda Síochána to tackle criminals and enforce the law effectively is a key objective of the Government's response to tackling crime.

The Government has dedicated very significant resources to support An Garda Síochána in tackling the activities of criminal gangs, including mobile criminal gangs, that seek to target our communities.

The Deputy will be aware that there are a number of successful Garda operations in place to disrupt the activities of criminal gangs.

This concentrated policing activity has produced in the region of 10,000 arrests and 11,550 charges covering a range of offences which, in addition to burglary, have included handling stolen property, possession of firearms and drugs offences. An Garda Síochána will continue to bring pressure on the gangs and individuals responsible for these type of offences.

The Deputy will also be familiar with Operation Hybrid which has been deployed as a result of an escalation in violence between organised crime gangs in the Dublin Metropolitan Region. The strategic objective of Operation Hybrid is to have a three-pronged approach - preventative, investigative and targeted. As of 5 May, there have been in the region of 76,700 high visibility checkpoints carried out under Operation Hybrid.

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.

With respect to tackling cross border crime, there is strong ongoing co-operation between the Gardaí and the PSNI in respect of the full range of policing activities. A joint Cross-Border Policing Strategy operates between the two services. The Strategy covers the range of policing activities and contains a series of initiatives in which both police services are actively engaged.

The Joint Agency Task Force established under the Fresh Start Agreementengages the two police services in a lead role in structured strategic and operational co-operation in combating cross-border organised crime. The Joint Agency Task Force is a positive example of the extensive North-South co-operation that is undertaken between the police and other law enforcement agencies aimed at tackling crime and enhancing the safety of all communities on this island.

I can assure the Deputy that the Government remains committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána have all the necessary resources to tackle all forms of criminality that affects our communities