Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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402. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí attached to the specialist units in the DMR northern division. [9409/20]

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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403. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí attached to specialist units in Coolock Garda station. [9410/20]

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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404. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí attached to specialist units in Raheny Garda station. [9411/20]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 402 to 404, inclusive, together.

The Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of resources. As Minister, I have no responsibility for these matters. I understand however that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.

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. There are now over 14,700 Gardaí nationwide, supported by over 3,000 Garda staff and these numbers are continuing to grow. Taken together, this increase in the number of Garda members and staff is delivering a significant increase in operational policing hours nationwide.

It is important to note that many of the specialist Garda Units are national units. These include the Criminal Assets Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Garda National Immigration Bureau, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. These national units support the work of all Garda Divisions nationwide, where necessary and appropriate.

Divisional specialist units include Drugs, Roads and Community Policing. I am informed by the Commissioner that members of these units are assigned on a Divisional basis and that a breakdown by Garda District or Station is not readily available.

I am informed that as at 30 April 2020, there were 27 members attached to the DMR North Drugs Unit. Information about the allocation of Community and Roads Policing Gardaí by Division is available on my Department's website through the following links:

Additional information on Garda Resources can be found at the following link: