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

Road traffic legislation is enforced as part of the day-to-day duties of all members of An Garda Síochána, as well as through a programme of high-visibility road safety and enforcement operations carried out in partnership with other state agencies, in order to make our roads safer for all. The Garda Commissioner has recently confirmed that all uniform Gardaí will undertake 30 minutes of high visibility roads policing in each tour of duty.

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 managing the deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.

I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities.

The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to keep people safe. An Garda Síochána has been allocated unprecedented funding of over €2.35 billion for 2024 representing a 25% increase since 2020. This funding will allow for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.

An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority continue to highlight to the public the dangerous behaviours which give rise to so many collisions and fatalities through road safety appeals and campaigns. Everyone who gets behind the wheel of a car, or is a passenger in a car has a role to play in ensuring that drivers behave in a safe manner.

There are still too many people willing to drive without due care, be that by speeding, driving recklessly, being distracted, perhaps by using a mobile phone, or driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Encouraging drivers to change poor behaviours will have a much greater impact on road safety than any number of additional Gardaí.

Whether its fixed cameras, average speed cameras or GoSafe vans, we need to use technology to work to reverse some of these trends. My Department and An Garda Síochána will play their part in the joint-agency working group, led by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, to develop a national Safety Camera Strategy.

The use of technology is also evident in the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), which primarily supports Gardaí in the detection of tax and insurance offences along with disqualified drivers. We know that those who drive without insurance are more likely to engage in other unsafe driving behaviours. In the first two months of this year alone, An Garda Síochána seized almost 2,500 vehicles from drivers with no insurance.

There are also significant opportunities for increased camera-based enforcement nationwide. New average speed camera sites and fixed camera sites are in the pipeline, and more broadly An Garda Síochána is working closely with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and other stakeholders, as it develops a national camera strategy to leverage technology further to support enforcement.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that, as of 31 March 2024, the latest date for when figures are available, there were a total of 14,059 Garda members nationwide. This represents an increase of almost 10% since the end of December 2015. In addition, the civilianisation programme has freed up almost 900 Garda members from back office work for front line policing work since 2015.

I am further advised that the table below sets out the number of Garda members attached to Roads Policing duty for the years 2019 up to the end of March 2024, the latest date for when figures are available. Please note that this information is based upon operational data which has been provided by An Garda Síochána and may be liable to change.

Further information in relation to the number of Garda members assigned to Roads Policing duty by Division can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/