Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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308. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated cost of increasing the number of sworn Garda members to 16,000 by the end of 2025. [37299/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, funding for An Garda Síochána is provided through Vote 20, the Garda Vote and is not accounted under my Department's Vote. The Garda Commissioner is the Accounting Officer for the Garda Vote under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) and is accountable for the economy and the efficiency of An Garda Síochána in using its resources.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that based on current HR statistics as of 31 July 2024, the current Garda member strength stood at 14,064. To reach 16,000 sworn Garda members by the end of 2025 would require the recruitment of 2,300-2,500 Gardaí when account is taken of retirements and resignations.

This is of a scale that is not currently realistic and any costings of recruitment at this scale other than payroll costs would be misleading. For example, the maximum annual throughput of the Garda College is approximately 1,000 recruits.

To be of assistance to the Deputy, I am informed that the annual estimated payroll and fixed subsistence cost of recruiting 1,000 Gardaí is of the order of €30 million. This estimate assumes that all recruits would commence training on 1 January 2025, which would not be feasible. It also assumes a basic training allowance for 35 weeks along with 17 weeks of post-attestation salary, an estimation of certain fixed allowances and variable unsocial hours’ allowances, employer’s PRSI, and an estimate of subsistence paid during the trainees’ deployment to an operational station. This estimate is provided for illustrative purposes only.

Other potential costs including the cost of expanding the Garda College, recruiting additional staff, equipment and accommodation are not included. These and other significant costs would arise in order to reach the level of recruitment suggested by the Deputy. It should also be noted that the estimated figures do not take account of potential overtime costs in excess of estimated briefing time payments or potential future pension costs.