Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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62. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the measures that are being taken to restore Garda numbers to full strength given that there are 650 fewer gardaí than previously. [7715/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I would like to assure the Deputy that I am committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure local communities are safe and feel safe through a policy of visible policing.

Since 2015, the budget for An Garda Síochána has increased by approximately €672m, or 46%. This includes the unprecedented allocation of over €2 billion in Budget 2023. This has allowed for sustained and ongoing recruitment and as Minister, I am committed to delivering the necessary resources to bring the number of Gardaí in the country to 15,000 and beyond. As of the end of December 2022, there were 14,133 Garda sworn members nationwide. This represents an increase of over 10% since 2015 when there were 12,816 Garda members throughout the country.

In Budget 2023, my Department allocated an unprecedented sum of over €2 billion to An Garda Síochána, which included provision for the hiring of up to 1,000 new sworn Gardaí and 400 civilian staff this year.

The Commissioner and his team have assured me that the target to recruit 1,000 new Gardaí in 2023 can be achieved.

While the Garda Commissioner is responsible for recruitment matters, I am in ongoing communication with the Commissioner to monitor the resources needed to deliver on this recruitment target.

The strong levels of interest displayed in the most recent Garda recruitment campaign show that there remains a strong interest in a career with An Garda Síochána, even in the context of a highly competitive jobs market. I want to acknowledge also that Garda recruitment was significantly and understandably disrupted when the Garda college at Templemore was necessarily closed during the COVID pandemic.

In tandem with this recruitment drive, additional reassignments of Gardaí to operational frontline policing and the continued roll out of the new Operating Model with its focus on community engagement will further consolidate Garda resources, enabling Gardaí to continue to deliver on An Garda Síochána's mission of Keeping People Safe.