Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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193. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda vehicles assigned to Kildare Garda station; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11890/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern and fit-for-purpose policing service. Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, of which €10 million has been allocated for investment in the Garda fleet.

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 the purchase, allocation, and effective and efficient use of Garda vehicles. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.

I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, for security reasons, An Garda Síochána does not provide the vehicle allocations by Garda station. The Deputy will be aware that the Kildare Division is comprised of the three districts of Kildare, Leixlip and Naas. The table below shows that the number of vehicles attached to each of the districts as of 28 February 2023.

*The category 'others' refers to MPV, SUV, Minibus or Prisoner Conveyance Vehicles

The Deputy will be interested to know that the Kildare Division has seen an increase of over 12% since 31 December 2020 when there were 66 vehicles attached to the Kildare Division.

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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194. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí currently out on sick leave due to work-related issues in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11891/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended). This includes all internal Garda human resources matters and sick leave management. As Minister, I play no role in these independent functions.

For the Deputy's information, the Garda Commissioner publishes detailed statistics on Garda absences, both for Garda members and Garda staff, in monthly reports to the Policing Authority. These reports can be viewed at the following link: www.garda.ie/en/about-us/publications/general-reports/commissioner-s-monthly-reports-to-policing-authority/. For example, see pages 39-45 of the February 2023 Report. A breakdown of Garda members absent by geographical area is not available to prevent identification of individual members, in line with data protection.