Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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290. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of vehicles seized by gardaí within the Kildare division for driving without insurance in 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [38266/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including the enforcement of road traffic legislation. As Minister for Justice, I have no direct role in these matters.

I have been provided by the Garda authorities with the below table, outlining a yearly breakdown of the number of incidents where a vehicle was seized under section 41 of the Road Traffic Act in the Kildare Division for the offence of driving without insurance.

* 2021 figures cover the period from 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2021.

I have been informed by the Garda authorities that all information contained in this report is based upon operational data from the PULSE system as was available on 12 July 2021 and is liable to change.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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291. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if members of An Garda Síochána attached to the Garda armed support unit are fully trained in advanced lifesaving skills. [38269/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including any matters relating to the training of Garda members.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that pre-hospital care has been a skill-set in the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) since 2000, where the basics of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were developed to allow for a greater level of competence through the delivery of Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) to a core group of members. I am advised that this situation has evolved over time, with members acquiring certification in the greater skill-set of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). I am further advised that all Garda members attached to the ERU and Armed Support Unit (ASU) nationally are qualified to Emergency First Responder (EFR) level.

I am further informed that there are a number of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) attached to the ERU, and that these members are registered with Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC), an independent statutory organisation responsible for implementing, monitoring and further developing the standards of care provided by all statutory, private and voluntary ambulance services in Ireland.