Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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624. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank and Garda staff by job title working in the National Forensic Co-Ordination Office as of 1 November 2020. [34980/20]

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 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 National Forensic Co-Ordination Office (NFCO) was established within the Garda National Technical Bureau (GNTB), in February 2015.

The table below, furnished to me by the Garda authorities, shows the current staffing level within the National Forensic Co-Ordination Office (NFCO) as of 1 November 2020.

An Garda Síochána has been allocated an unprecedented budget of €1.952 billion for 2021. The significant level of funding provided over recent years is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff. As a result, there are now some 14,600 Garda members and over 3,000 Garda staff nationwide.

Budget 2021 will allow for the recruitment of up to620 new Gardaí and an extra 500 Garda staff.The Budget allocation also provides for an increase in supervisory ranks at Sergeant and Inspector level.

More Garda recruits and more Garda staff means extra members of the service on the frontline and in specialist units battling organised crime groups, supporting victims, and keeping people safe.