Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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645. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 541 of 8 May 2019 to which no reply was received, the number of marked and unmarked cars and motorbikes attached to the north Dublin roads policing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36122/19]

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 An Garda Síochána, including a total of €46 million for investment in the Garda fleet between 2016 and 2021. This continuing investment is intended to ensure that An Garda Síochána can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime.

A capital allocation of €10 million has been made available for the purchase and fit-out of Garda vehicles in 2019 and 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.

As the Deputy will appreciate, 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.  Further, the allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Commissioner, in light of identified operational demands. This includes responsibility for the allocation of Garda vehicles among the various Garda divisions.  As Minister, I have no role in these matters. I am assured, 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.

The following table, as provided to me by the Garda Commissioner, outlines the number of vehicles allocated to the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) for the years requested by the Deputy. The figures provided for 2019 are correct as of 30 April 2019.

Within the DMR, there is a Roads Policing Division based in Dublin Castle (referred to in the below table as Traffic) and there are also units within each of the six geographical Divisions within the DMR which cover road policing duties.  

DMR Region - Roads Policing Duty by Division 2017-2019 ( as of 30/04/2019)