Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities around Ireland are safe and feel safe.

This is reflected in the allocation of €2.3 billion in Budget 2024 to An Garda Síochána, a 23% increase since 2020. This funding provides for 800-1000 new Garda recruits. Growing the strength of An Garda Síochána to 15,000 and beyond.

There has also been a significant increase in the training allowance paid to trainees to €305 per week, and the maximum age of recruitment has been increased from 35 to 50.

The Government will continue to provide An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities around Ireland are safe and feel safe, including to invest in recruitment, in equipment and technology and in buildings.

Recruitment into An Garda Síochána has accelerated following the forced closure of the Garda College during Covid-19, with 746 trainees entering Templemore last year. A new Garda recruitment competition launched this week and will help ensure a steady pipeline on recruits entering Templemore in the near future. The total intake of 746 for 2023 represents a six-fold increase on 2022’s intake of 116. It is the highest intake into the Garda College since 2018.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that the table below shows the number of Garda recruits for the last 5 years:

I expect the number of recruits in 2024 will increase further with high numbers going through the Garda College at present.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I have requested the information sought by the Deputy from the Garda authorities. Unfortunately, the information was not received in time. I will contact the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 role in these independent functions.

I am however committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána have the resources they need to keep our urban and rural communities safe. This is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of over €2.3 billion in Budget 2024. This funding is allowing for sustained investment in recruitment, technology and equipment.

The below table, provided to me by the Garda authorities, outlines the number of Gardaí who have left An Garda Síochána in each of the past five years. These figures include Voluntary Retirements, Compulsory Retirements, Cost Neutral Early Retirements, Resignations, Dismissals, Deaths in Service and Medical Discharges.

Across 2023 we have seen recruitment into An Garda Síochána gain real momentum. While there were 319 retirements and 169 resignations in 2023, 746 trainees entered Templemore last year. This is the highest intake into Templemore since 2018.

As the Deputy may be aware, a new Garda Recruitment competition was launched on 15 January. I am very pleased to see Garda recruits once again regularly entering training at Templemore, and this competition will ensure there is a continuous pipeline of new trainees.

We have put in place measures to make a career in An Garda Síochána more attractive and to lower the barriers to access by increasing the training allowance paid to trainees to €305 per week and increasing the maximum age of recruitment from 35 to 50.

While of course we don't want to see members leaving An Garda Síochána, I must emphasise the numbers remain very low. As of November 2023, there were just under 14,000 Garda members with the rate of resignations at around 1%.

An Garda Síochána have introduced their own exit interviews to get a clearer view on why people may choose to resign and, where appropriate, to address issues which may influence retention. These voluntary exit interviews are conducted by a chartered occupational psychologist working within the Garda Human Resources and People Development department.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I have requested the information sought by the Deputy from the Garda authorities. Unfortunately, the information was not received in time. I will contact the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that An Garda Síochána is committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of all Garda members and Garda staff. This commitment is reflected in the €6 million allocated for Garda wellbeing initiatives, additional medical costs and over 2,500 units of body armour in Budget 2024.

I also want to make it clear that I am very aware of how stressful and difficult the work of members of An Garda Síochána can be. There are a number of support systems in place to help Gardaí address issues of stress and mental health, including the Employee Assistance Service, trauma counselling, Psychological Support Programme, as well as peer support.

In recent years, An Garda Síochána launched 'Keeping Our People Supported', the Health and Wellbeing Strategy Statement and Action Plan 2021-2023. This plan identified three key goals to improve the health and welfare of Gardaí.

These goals were to identify, communicate and enhance existing resources to promote health, wellbeing and work ability across the organisation, to develop partnerships with key stakeholders inside and outside the organisation in order to build capacity, and to provide support and advice.

A new wellbeing app KOPS ("Keeping Our People Supported") was launched as part of the strategy. The app makes support available to members of An Garda Síochána on a 24/7 basis and can be accessed on any mobile device. It was created to ensure members who may be distressed and in need of urgent assistance can access the supports available to them at any time.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that there is no specific sub-category on the Sickness Absence Management System (SAMS) for the recording of absences due to stress, anxiety or depression but in some cases, this is recorded under the Mental Health sub-category or in the comments field against another sub-category.

The following statistics have been compiled using the Mental Health illness subcategory. There is no guarantee that all absences due to stress, anxiety or depression have been recorded under this sub-category.

Number of members recorded as taking sickness absence due to mental health illness

Please note that the figures are operational and may be subject to change.

I am also advised that the figures for 2019 – 2022 are acquired from the Annual Commissioner Reports and are correct at the time each yearly report is run.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Road safety is a shared responsibility, and it is one which this Government takes very seriously. We have all been shocked by the recent loss of life on our roads, and concerned by the worrying increase in road fatalities in 2023, and into the early days of the New Year, after many years of progress in making our roads safer.

Road traffic legislation is enforced as part of the day-to-day duties of members of An Garda Síochána and, to assist with this, the Government are committed to providing the funding needed to continue to ramp up Garda recruitment.

I am informed by Garda authorities that An Garda Síochána is committed to working closely with all road safety agencies to focus on high risk behaviour with the key objective of reducing the number of serious injury collisions and fatalities on our roads.

Budget 2024 provides for 800-1000 new Garda recruits. Growing the strength of An Garda Síochána to 15,000 and beyond will allow the further expansion of specialist units, including the roads policing unit.

Also as part of Budget 2024, €3.6m additional funding has been allocated for GoSafe speed cameras, continuing the increased level of 9,000 hours a month announced last year through the whole of 2024.

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the allocation and efficient use of Garda resources. This includes responsibility for personnel matters and the distribution of personnel across the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

I am assured that the Commissioner keeps the allocation of these resources under continued review, in line with crime and population trends, to ensure their optimum use.

It is important to note that while a number of Gardaí are assigned to Roads Policing Units, all frontline Gardaí contribute to policing our roads and keeping them safe. On average 25% of roads policing enforcement is carried by regular members, with the exception of drug/drink driving checks, 75% of which are carried out by regular members.

For the Deputy's information, and in the interest of transparency, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers, including the number of Gardaí assigned to the Roads Policing Unit, are published on gov.ie and are updated regularly by my Department from information provided by An Garda Síochána. The statistics can be accessed using the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/