Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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507. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí employed in each of the divisional drugs units respectively in each of the years 2015 to date in 2023, in tabular form. [9847/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), 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. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

I am however assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review. I am advised that this is considered in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure the optimum use of these resources.

I can also assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose, policing service, with the unprecedented allocation provided in Budget 2023 of €2.14 billion.

The table below which has been provided to me by the Garda authorities sets out the total number of Garda members assigned to each Divisional Drugs unit at end December 2015 up to end December 2022 and at 31 January 2023, the latest date for which figures are available.

Please note that this information is based upon operational data which has been provided by An Garda Síochána and may be liable to change.

For the Deputy's information, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers are published on gov.ie and are regularly updated by my Department, from information supplied by An Garda Síochána. These statistics can be accessed using the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/.

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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508. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of seizures of crack cocaine and estimated value of same by the Limerick divisional drugs unit in 2021 and 2023, in tabular form. [9848/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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At the outset I would like to assure the Deputy that tackling drug dealing and associated criminal activity is a top priority for An Garda Síochána and the Government. An Garda Síochána continues to target those involved in the sale and supply of illegal drugs including through Operation Tara which has a strong focus on tackling street-level dealing.

I am advised by Garda authorities that reporting in relation to seizures and estimated values of specific drug types is, following analysis by Forensic Science Ireland, only available at national level via the An Garda Síochána annual report.

The latest annual report published relates to 2021 (page 94) while the 2022 report is yet to be published.

For the Deputy's convenience the annual report can be accessed from the link below: www.garda.ie/en/about-us/publications/annual%20reports/an-garda-siochana-annual-reports/.