Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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203. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the increase or decrease in qualified Garda numbers since 1 January 2016; when the next recruitment campaign for An Garda Síochána will take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27447/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and decisions on the deployment of resources.  As Minister, I have no responsibility for 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 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 almost 14,700 Gardaí nationwide, supported by over 3,000 Garda staff.  Taken together, this increase in the number of Garda members and staff is delivering a significant growth in operational policing hours nationwide.

The Deputy may wish to know that detailed information in relation to Garda numbers, including from January 1st 2016 to present, is available on my Department’s website.  This information is updated every month with the latest data provided by An Garda Síochána, at the following link:

www.justice.ie/en/JELR/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and_Station_2009_to_August_2020.xlsx/Files/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and_Station_2009_to_August_2020.xlsx.

Additional information on Garda staff, the Garda Workforce and other facts and figures are available at the following link:

www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/An_Garda_Siochana_facts_and_figures.

I am informed by the Garda Authorities that deliberations are ongoing regarding the scheduling of the next recruitment campaign for An Garda Síochána.