David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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32. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current strength of the Garda Reserve; the number of male and female members; the Government policy with respect to recruitment to the Garda Reserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7679/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have contacted An Garda Síochána for the information requested by the Deputy. Regrettably this information was not available in time and I will write to the Deputy again once the information is to hand.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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33. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank in each Garda station in the Dublin northern and western divisions as of 1 February 2023. [7391/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including responsibility for the recruitment, training and deployment of Garda members. I am assured that the Commissioner keeps the allocation of these resources under continued review, in line with crime and population trends, to ensure their optimum use. 

I am informed by the Garda authorities that, as of the end of December 2022, the latest date for which data is available, there were a total of 721 Garda members assigned to the DMR West Division and 767 Garda members assigned to the DMR North Division.

The attached table provides a breakdown of Gardaí by rank in each Garda station of the respective Divisions.

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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34. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on ongoing recruitment and retention of gardaí; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7268/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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This Government is committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities around Ireland are safe and feel safe.

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.

These Gardaí are supported by 3,126 Garda civilian staff, an increase of more than 50% on the number of civilian staff assigned in 2015. These concerted efforts in civilian recruitment have a critical impact on frontline policing, facilitating the redeployment of over 880 Garda members to operational policing duties.

I very much support the Commissioner’s ambition to accelerate Garda recruitment coming out of the pandemic. The Commissioner and his team have assured me that the target to recruit 1,000 new Gardaí in 2023 will be achieved this year.   

It is clear from the response to last year's competition that, despite intense competition in the employment market, a career in An Garda Síochána is attractive to a large number of people and it is equally clear from the 2022 Garda Culture Audit that Gardaí have high levels of job satisfaction, notwithstanding the risks and challenges associated with their role.  While the recruitment process takes time, there is every reason to be confident that An Garda Síochána will continue to attract the numbers required to keep the public safe.  I can assure the Deputy that this Government will not be found wanting in its support for that objective.