Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The unprecedented allocation of over €2.3 billion to An Garda Síochána for 2024 demonstrates the Government's commitment to ensuring Gardaí have provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work. This includes funding for between 800 - 1,000 new Gardaí and 250 Garda staff.

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 distribution of Garda members and staff throughout the State. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

I am however assured by the Garda Commissioner that this distribution is kept under review in light of emerging crime trends and policing needs.

Garda staff perform a number of vital roles that are essential to a modern police service and increase the availability of Gardaí to concentrate on front-line policing duties.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that as of 31 October 2023, the latest date for when figures are available, there were 3,130 Garda staff. This represents an increases of almost 56% since the end of December 2015 when there were 2,007 Garda staff nationwide.

I can also inform the Deputy that since 2015, civilianisation has freed almost 900 Garda members from back office duties nationwide to return to the front line policing for which they have been highly trained.

For the Deputy's information, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers are published on my Department's website and updated on a monthly basis. The Deputy can access the statistics at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/