Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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208. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which plans are in hand to increase recruitment to An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25502/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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214. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if adequate steps are being taken to recruit sufficient numbers of gardaí to meet policing requirements in all areas throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25510/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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217. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which perceived deficiencies in the number of gardaí available to the various Garda divisions throughout the country can be addressed in the short to medium term given increasing demands, increased population growth and in some cases the closure of some Garda stations, which may need to be reopened in the event of such closures being a contributory factor in the number of crimes reported and pursued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25513/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 208, 214 and 217 together.

As the Deputy will be aware the Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes the allocation of resources, such as Garda members. As Minister I have no role in these matters.

I have been assured by the Garda authorities that the Commissioner keeps the allocation of these resources under continual review to ensure their optimum use. Factors taken into consideration include population sizes, crime stats and trends.

The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, which is reflected in an allocation of €2.14 billion under Budget 2023.

This level of funding will provide a steady pipeline of new Gardaí in the coming years, and the Government will continue to work with the Commissioner to ensure that members of An Garda Síochána are fully supported.

This funding allocation provides for the recruitment of up to 1,000 Gardaí and 400 additional Garda staff this year.

The Government is steadfast in its commitment to supporting the Commissioner in bringing the number of Gardaí to 15,000 and above in the coming years. There have been challenges with recruitment due to the COVID pandemic restrictions, however, the Commissioner assures me that with a steady pipeline of recruits through the Garda College, recruitment will continue to meet the demands of the organisation.

There has been an almost 10% increase in the number of Garda members since 2015. The high levels of interest in the recent recruitment campaigns reflects the enduring popularity of a career as a Garda.

As the Deputy will be aware An Garda Síochána launched a new recruitment campaign on 24 March and closed on 14 April 2023. This year’s campaign, which was shorter in duration than the 2022 campaign, attracted 4,973 applicants.

While there was some pent up demand last year due to the pause in Garda recruitment due to COVID, this level of interest is in line with 2019, the last pre-COVID recruitment campaign, and demonstrates the demand to join AGS is as strong as ever.

The initial stage of the application process for this year’s campaign differed to the 2022 campaign with all applicants filling out an application in the first instance, rather than just declaring an interest. This gives a clearer idea of how many people are fully committed to applying this year.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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209. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current strength of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25503/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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210. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current strength of An Garda Síochána, by gender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25504/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 210 together.

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 all human resource matters and recruitment. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

For the Deputy's information, and in the interest of transparency, statistics related to the Garda workforce are published on my Department's website and updated regularly with information provided by the Garda authorities at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/

The table below, provided to me by the Garda authorities, outlines the overall strength, broken down by gender, for 30 April 2023: