Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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48. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there has been a 345% increase in those leaving An Garda Síochána since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17712/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate the Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána including HR matters.

However, I can assure the Deputy that Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána have the resources they need to perform their vital role in the community.

It is important to emphasise that, of the over 14,000 sworn members currently working in the Garda organisation, just over 100 resigned last year – this represents less than 1% of total Garda members. Any increase in the number of resignations should be viewed in this context.

I was pleased to note the Garda Síochána Culture Audit 2022 found that job satisfaction was high among Garda personnel. The independently conducted survey reflected that Garda members are proud of An Garda Síochána are motivated to serve communities and protect people from harm.

The Commissioner has acknowledged however that, while there are many positives within the service, it is clear that the organisation has more work to do to give its people the support and tools they need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively, to ensure people feel they are treated fairly, and they are being supported in their very challenging and pressurised work.

I understand that a number of initiatives to improve morale in the work place have been put in place in recent years along with a suite of measures to support the mental health needs of the employees.

These include the Employee Assistance Service (available to all Garda members, staff, retired members and their families); a 24/7/365 telephone helpline and counselling service provided by Inspire Wellbeing; and a Peer Support Network.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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49. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to establish a dedicated public transport section of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18115/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The safety and security of both public transport passengers and staff, including arrangements to deal with anti-social behaviour, are important matters that must be managed by every public transport company, in conjunction with An Garda Síochána where appropriate.

We can all agree that any acts of violence and anti-social behaviour are completely unacceptable. I want to make it very clear that criminality on public transport will not be tolerated.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including all operational policing decisions. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions and am unable to direct the Commissioner in regards to the deployment of Garda resources. 

The Commissioner is on record as stating that he does not propose to establish a dedicated transport policing unit, as he is of the view that the policing needs of public transport can be met through community policing, and I wish to reiterate that view today.  The Commissioner is best placed to determine the most appropriate response to concerns in relation to personal safety on public transport and to decide how to allocate the resources at his disposal to best effect. 

I am advised that a range of regional and local operations have been put in place by Gardaí to prevent and detect criminal activity on public transport. For example, Operation Saul is implemented across the Dublin Region with the aim of keeping people safe on public transport services. The operation is undertaken as a proactive response and is informed by analysis of crime and anti-social behaviour trends, supported by Garda analysts. 

I am informed that there is ongoing communication between An Garda Síochána and the respective control centres, and access to good quality CCTV can provide assistance to Gardaí when investigating serious incidents. 

I am further informed that Garda dispatch staff have relocated to a floor of the National Train Control Centre building in Heuston Station since mid-November 2022, which will help to further strengthen the links between Gardaí and public transport operators.