Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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344. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which adequate resources continue to be made available to An Garda Síochána to sustain the battle against drug barons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7947/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am acutely conscious of the devastating impact that illegal drugs and drug dealing have on communities across the country. I have discussed these concerns with the Garda Commissioner and his senior team since my appointment as Minister.

The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for deployment of Garda resources. The Government remains committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to keep communities safe, evidenced by the unprecedented funding of €2.14 billion provided in Budget 2023.

Tackling drug dealing and associated criminal activity, including by organised crime groups and by members of the public who, through their drug taking fuel this illegal and very harmful trade, is a top priority for An Garda Síochána and the Government.

The Government are committed to taking a number of direct actions to tackle this, including by:

- Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life in prison to tackle those who direct gangland and drug related crime; and

- Introducing new legislation which will criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime.

An Garda Síochána tackles organised criminal activity through a range of targeted measures designed to disrupt and dismantle the operations of criminal organisations. To the greatest extent possible, these measures include the use of advanced analytical and intelligence methodologies.

The additional resources allocated to AGS in recent years have enabled the Garda Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime, including the Armed Support Unit, Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).

In December, I announced an additional capital allocation of €21.5 million to support significant investment in a replacement helicopter and fixed wing plane for An Garda Síochána. This investment will provide a vital support to the security of the State, offering consistent and effective capacity to Garda national units in the investigation of crime, including against Organised Crime Gangs (OCG) and drug traffickers.

An Garda Síochána also uses multi-disciplinary approaches to ensure the activities of individuals and groups involved in criminal enterprise are effectively targeted. Such approaches include the use of money-laundering legislation and the powers available to CAB under the proceeds of crime legislation.

The Deputy may also wish to know that the Garda Commissioner has tasked an Inspector in every Garda Division to respond to the issue of drug-related intimidation. There are currently thirty nominated Garda Inspectors appointed to act as liaison officers for the Drug-Related Intimidation Reporting Programme, covering each Garda Division.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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345. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to increase the strength of An Garda Síochána in the short-term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7948/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I would like to assure the Deputy that the Government remains committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to perform its vital role in local communities across the country. This ongoing commitment is reflected in the unprecedented Garda allocation of over €2 billion in Budget 2023 which provides for the recruiting of a further 1,000 Garda members.

I very much support the Commissioner's ambition to accelerate Garda recruitment coming out of the COVID pandemic.

A new Garda recruitment competition will be commenced in the coming months and the Commissioner and his team have assured me that the target to recruit 1,000 new Gardaí in 2023 will be achieved. I will continue to engage closely with the Commissioner in relation to the delivery of this recruitment target.

I am confident that An Garda Síochána will continue to attract the numbers required to keep the public safe and I can assure the Deputy that this Government will not be found wanting in its support for this objective.