Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

453. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of vehicles seized by gardaí for having no insurance within the Dublin metropolitan division in the years 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21697/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have contacted An Garda Síochána for the information requested by the Deputy, regretfully this information was not available in time. I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

454. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 1041 of 18 April 2023, if he has received the necessary information from the Garda authorities to have this PQ answered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21698/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Parliamentary Question no. 1041 of 18 April 2023, refers to the number of Gardai by rank attached to each divisional crime scenes unit as of 12 April 2023, in tabular form.

I have contacted An Garda Síochána for the information requested by the Deputy, regretfully this information was not available in time. I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

455. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda community support vans that came into the fleet in 2022 and to date in 2023; the number of Garda community support vans withdrawn from the fleet during the same period; the Garda districts within DMR that have been allocated a community support van, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21699/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose, policing service. Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, of which €10m 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 however 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.

The table below, which was provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of Community Support cars and vans allocated to and removed from the Garda Fleet in 2022 and in 2023 up to 30 April 2023, the latest date for which figures are available.

I am advised that at 30 April 2023 there were 49 Community Support Vehicles assigned to the DMR. This includes 42 cars, 2 vans and 5 others. The table below sets out the number of Community Support Vehicles within the DMR Divisions by District.

The Deputy may also wish to be aware that An Garda Síochána publish information on Garda fleet, including a Divisional/District monthly breakdown, on their website at:

www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/finance-services/finance-fleet-management.html

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

456. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of cases each Garda divisional protective services unit has dealt with in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21700/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I requested the information sought by the Deputy from the Garda authorities. Unfortunately, this information was not received in time. I will contact the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

457. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of each category of public order training courses provided to gardaí within the Dublin metropolitan division in 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21701/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána, and will contact him again when this is to hand.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

458. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 1039 of 18 April 2023, if he has received the necessary information from the Garda authorities to have this question answered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21702/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I understand that Parliamentary Question No. 1039 of 18 April 2023 refers to the number of full-time forensic accountants working in the Criminal Assets Bureau and Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau in the years of 2022 and to-date in 2023.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is a multi-agency statutory body established under the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996. The Bureau’s remit is to target a person's assets, wherever situated, which derive, or are suspected to derive, directly or indirectly, from criminal conduct. Since its inception, the Bureau has been at the forefront of fighting organised crime in this jurisdiction and disrupting the activities of criminal gangs by depriving them of ill-gotten assets.

Under the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996, the Chief Bureau Officer is responsible for the management and control of the administration and business of the Criminal Assets Bureau, including the staffing of the Bureau. Under the Act, the Chief Bureau Officer is responsible to the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána for these functions. As Minister for Justice I have no direct role in these functions.

I am advised by the Bureau that there are currently three full-time Forensic Accountants employed in the Bureau and there is an additional vacancy that the Public Appointments Service (PAS) intend to advertise in the near future. There is also one Financial Crime Analyst working in the Criminal Assets Bureau and I understand that there is a vacancy for one Digital Specialist and that the PAS are also managing the recruitment process for filling this position.

Similarly, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that no full-time forensic accountants worked in Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Unit in 2022 or to date in 2023.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

459. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí, by rank, attached to Garda water unit as of 1 May 2023; if he will provide the same figures as of 31 December 2020, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21703/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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 the Commissioner keeps the allocation of these resources under continued review to ensure their optimum use. The below table, provided to me by Garda authorities, outlines the number of Garda members attached to the water unit for the dates requested.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

460. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if gardaí based at the new Garda transport hubs that will be located at both Heuston and Connolly Stations will be deployed on a full-time basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21704/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will appreciate, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) the Commissioner is responsible for the distribution and stationing of the Garda Síochána throughout the State and I am unable to intervene in, nor direct the Commissioner in, these independent decisions.

I wish to inform the Deputy that I was delighted to open the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) Control Centre that re-located to office space within the National Train Control Centre (NTCC) at Heuston Station, which is a new €40 million building funded under the National Development Plan. This is another step forward in modernising An Garda Síochána and strengthening links with public transport operators.

This call and dispatch centre, located on a floor in the new National Train Control Centre in Heuston Station, is the nerve centre to Garda operations in the Dublin Metropolitan region and the personnel working there are the people at the frontline taking sometimes the most challenging and time-sensitive calls. The DMR Control Centre is the busiest of the four regional control centres in An Garda Síochána, with approximately 100 Garda personnel answering between 800 and 1,000 calls per day.

The personnel working there are the people at the frontline taking sometimes the most challenging and time-sensitive calls, doing so in a compassionate and professional manner. It will be Garda staff rather than sworn members who will work out of the Control Centre.

An Garda Síochána also plan to increase their presence in some other stations in the time ahead.

This Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with an unprecedented allocation of over €2.14 billion in Budget 2023. The new Control Centre is another step forward in modernising An Garda Síochána and strengthening links with public transport operators.

Functions from Iarnród Éireann and Dublin City Council will be co-located in the building along with the Garda Síochána DMR Control Centre. The location of An Garda Síochána, Iarnród Eireann and Dublin City Council control centres in the same building will help Gardaí to build upon the already excellent relationships they have with public transport providers, particularly in the event of serious emergencies requiring coordinated responses.

An Garda Síochána's mission of 'Keeping People Safe' extends to all areas of our communities, including public transport and the stations that the services operate from. Garda management engages extensively with transport operators nationwide, including the National Transport Authority, Irish Rail (DART and InterCity rail) and Transdev Ireland (Luas) to provide a high visibility presence through a coordinated approach.