Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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335. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí that graduated from Templemore five years ago and one year ago that are still employed by An Garda Síochána. [15537/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with the unprecedented allocation provided in Budget 2022 of more than €2 billion. This includes funding for the recruitment of up to an additional 800 Garda members and up to 400 Garda staff. It should be noted that many of the Garda members to be recruited will be drawn from the recent Garda recruitment campaign. I am advised that there was a strong interest, with over 10,000 applications received.

For the Deputy's information, below is the number of Gardaí attested in the years 2017 and 2021, including the number of those who continue to be employed within the force as on 21/03/2022.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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336. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí in Cork by station; the number of vacancies; and the number considered a full cohort in tabular form. [15538/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with the unprecedented allocation provided in Budget 2022 of over €2 billion. This includes funding for the recruitment of up to an additional 800 Garda members and up to 400 Garda staff. It should be noted that many of the Garda members to be recruited will be drawn from the recent Garda recruitment competition which closed last week.

Over 800 Garda members have also been redeployed in recent years from administrative duties to frontline policing roles where their expertise can be utilised fully.

As the Deputy will be aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes decisions on the deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use. Therefore, the full complement of resources fluctuates at any given time and where a deficiency in resources is identified the matter is considered fully and addressed accordingly.

I understand that it is a matter for the Divisional Chief Superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available to them, having regard to the profile of each area within the Division and its specific needs.

For the Deputy's information, the table included in the attached spreadsheet, which has been provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of Gardaí in Cork at 28 February 2022.

Detailed information in relation to Garda numbers is available on my Department’s website. This information is updated every month with the latest data provided by An Garda Síochána, and includes the number of Gardaí by station across the whole country.

The information can be found at the following link: www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/An_Garda_Siochana_facts_and_figures.

GARDA STATISTICS MONTH ENDING 28 February 2022

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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337. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if a review has been conducted of the new Garda Operational Model. [15540/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The new Garda Operating Model seeks to reflect and address the realities of modern-day policing by providing more front-line Gardaí, increased Garda visibility, and a wider range of policing services for people in their local area. The Model will increase community engagement and access to a wider range of specialist services across the country. It development and design flow from recommendations made by both the Garda Síochána Inspectorate and the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

As the Deputy will appreciate, implementation of the Operating Model is in an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner.

Each of the 19 Divisions under the new Model will be comprised of four Functional Areas: Community Engagement, Crime, Performance Assurance and Business Services. Implementation of the Model has initially focused on the Business Services Functional Area. To date, 17 out of the 19 Divisions have commenced the phased implementation of Business Services.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Operating Model Central Implementation Team conduct ongoing reviews of the Model. Evaluations are conducted monthly with Divisions who have commenced implementation to assess progress and the adoption of the new ways of working. Feedback is actively tracked and reviewed by the Model Central Implementation Team, and this will continue throughout the rollout of all phases and functions of the model.