Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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372. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will give consideration to establishing a dedicated Garda Síochána transport police section to deal with public transport in urban areas in particular; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9148/20]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of Garda resources. I am assured however that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in light of operational demand, to ensure their optimum use.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that it is not proposed to establish a specialist or dedicated public transport policing unit at this time and that instead Gardaí deploy a wide range of operational measures aimed at tackling public-order offences and anti-social behaviour in all contexts, including the policing needs of the rail or transport network and its stakeholders.  The legal framework which assists the Gardaí in tackling this type of crime, include provisions under the Criminal Damage Act 1991; the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994; the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 2003; and the Intoxicating Liquor Acts 2003 and 2008.

In terms of safety on public transport generally, I understand that Garda management engages with transport operators and that a range of regional and local operations have been put in place to address incidents and issues that have arisen at specific locations.  I am further informed that there is ongoing communication between An Garda Síochána and the respective control centres, and access to good quality CCTV can provide assistance to Gardaí when investigating serious incidents.

More generally too, it may be noted that the resources provided to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2020 of €1.88 billion. This level of funding is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff and as a result, An Garda Síochána is a growing organisation.  We now have approximately 14,700 Gardaí nationwide, supported by over 3,000 Garda staff and these numbers are continuing to grow, which will allow Gardaí to continue to meet the challenge of crime of all categories, in rural and urban areas, nationwide.