Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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5. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps she is taking to increase the number of Gardaí in the State. [37986/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My number one priority is to significantly increase the number of Gardaí. Our current target is for 15,000 Garda members, 4,000 Garda staff and 2,000 Reserves.

The closure of the Garda college during the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted on Garda numbers, with the Garda Commissioner indicating that there would be 1,000 additional Gardaí today if it had not been for the pandemic. However, there is real momentum behind recruitment now and I hope that the current target will be reached over the next year or so. Last week 108 new Gardaí members attested, the third Passing Out ceremony of the year. 165 members were sworn in in March while a further 157 attested in June.

Budget 2024 provides a budget of over €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána, representing a 25% increase since 2020. This funding allows for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.

Recently I announced a further increase in the Garda training allowance from €305 to €354. This will build on the previous increase from €184 to €305 and represents an almost doubling of the allowance in the last 12 months.

I have also taken the decision to increase the maximum age of recruitment from 35 to 50 for the latest Garda recruitment competition. I am particularly pleased at the strong response from people aged between 35 and 50 in the latest competition. Well over a third of the applications were in that age group.

This policy has broadened the pool from which An Garda Síochána can recruit from, and will ensure members with more diverse experiences join the organisation.

Earlier this month, I also announced changes to the Garda mandatory retirement age. Members of An Garda Síochána can now continue to work to 62 if they wish to do so. There is a real appetite for this in An Garda Síochána and it will help us to retain more Gardaí. Since 2020 I have approved almost 180 requests for retirement extensions.

In addition, earlier this year I signed new regulations to allow a new Garda Reserve Competition to be run, as well as increasing the stipend available to reserve members. I am pleased to say that over 1,800 people have applied to join the reserve, which will in turn have a positive impact on Garda recruitment numbers in future.

We have seen a significant increase in the number of Garda staff working alongside Garda members. In 2015 there were around 2,000 Garda staff, whereas, today, there are over 3,300.

All Garda members now have mobile devices with real-time access to apps eliminating paperwork and allowing Gardaí to carry out their frontline duties far more efficiently. The Garda ACTIVE Mobility apps allow members to access their email on the move, check a vehicle’s history and tax status, and enables them to work more efficiently with local business and community groups.

My Department is working with Garda management, the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and Public Jobs in relation to further measures to address the issues of recruitment and retention. The first report from this group is due to be submitted to me at the end of this month.

Nothing is off the table when it comes to recruiting and retaining Garda members and I look forward to receiving recommendations from the Garda Training Steering Group in relation to further measures to improve attraction and retention of suitable eligible candidates.