Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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143. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the breakdown of the cancellations of emergency calls by Garda divisions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36753/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the apology that was made by the Garda Commissioner and the Commissioner has assured me that when someone calls 999 now, they can expect and trust that An Garda Síochána will help. That should of course always be the case.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Policing Authority, at the request of Minister McEntee, is overseeing the Garda review of this matter, and this work is ongoing. Once the Authority has completed its work, I will examine its conclusions, and any action that needs to be taken on foot of that report will be taken.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that calls for service to An Garda Síochána are processed through a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. These calls are channelled through the emergency call service to one of the four regional control rooms located in Dublin, Galway, Cork and Waterford. Such calls also include referrals from other emergency services or calls made to individual Garda stations. There are four categories for calls: Emergency, Priority 1, Priority 2 and Priority 3.

The Garda review of this matter, and the Authority's oversight of it, is ongoing and I am advised that further data will be available as the review progress. The Garda authorities have, however, provided me with the information in the table below, in relation to the number of CAD incidents nationally with a categorisation of Emergency or Priority 1, from 1 January 2019 to 31 April 2021.

(The Garda authorities advise me that CAD changes introduced from 1 November 2020 placed restrictions on how CAD incidents could be closed).

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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144. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of community Gardaí in the Laois-Offaly division; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36809/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation of €1.88 billion in 2020 and of €1.952 billion in 2021. This has enabled sustained ongoing recruitment into the organisation.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the general management and administration of the Garda organisation under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. This includes the deployment of members of An Garda Síochána throughout the State. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions.

Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that, as of 31 May 2021, there are 13 designated Community Gardaí in the Laois/Offaly Division, including 12 at Garda rank and 1 sergeant.

Again, it is important to note that the official categorisation as a Community Garda simply refers to those officers who are exclusively assigned to particular community engagement tasks. In overall terms, however, community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána and all Gardaí have a role to play in community policing in carrying out their duties.In this regard, as at 31 May 2021, there were 375 Gardaí assigned to the Laois/Offaly Divison, which represents an increase of 35% since 2015. These Garda members are supported by 38 Garda staff.

This strong focus on community has never been more evident than in the work carried out by all members of the Gardaí as we have tackled the COVID-19 pandemic. This is also fundamental to the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, which are currently being implemented through A Policing Service for Our Future, including the adoption of the new Garda operating model.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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145. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her views on the transition from regional to operational responsibilities within the hierarchy of An Garda Síochána; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36612/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The introduction of the new Garda Divisional Policing model, announced by the Garda Commissioner in August 2019, gives effect to a key recommendation of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The approach outlined by the Garda Commissioner is intended to addresses the challenges of modern day policing and has my full support.

The new operating model includes restructuring at National, Regional and Divisional levels to provide for more front-line Gardaí, increased Garda visibility, and a wider range of policing services for people in their local area. Under the Divisional Policing Model, all services will be managed and co-ordinated at divisional level, to allow greater specialisation and to release Gardaí from back office functions. Garda Districts will no longer form part of the organisational structure.

I am confident that, as envisaged by the Commission on the Future of Policing, the adoption of this new policing model will strengthen the service provided by An Garda Síochána throughout the country.