Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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262. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the first full-year cost of recruiting one thousand additional Gardaí in 2025; the full second year cost of those Gardaí; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42249/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities, and strengthening An Garda Síochána is at the core of that. We 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. This is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of over €2.48 billion to An Garda Síochána, a 27% increase since 2020. This funding allows for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff, under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended). As Minister, I have no direct role in the Garda recruitment process.

I am informed by Garda Authorities that the estimated 2025 payroll cost associated with the recruitment of 1,000 trainees in 2025 is in the region of €10.2 million. The estimated 2026 payroll cost associated with the recruitment of those 1,000 trainees is in the region of €47.1 million.

For this calculation, it is assumed that the 1,000 trainees are recruited in four tranches spread throughout the year. It is assumed that each batch of recruits attests every 35 weeks.

The estimate includes a basic training allowance and certain fixed allowances payable for the 35 week training period. When attested, Garda move to point 1 of the Garda pay scale. An estimation of certain fixed allowances, variable unsocial hours’ allowances and employer’s PRSI is calculated as each batch of recruits moves onto the Garda pay scale.

Pay increases scheduled for 2025 and 2026 are taken into consideration for newly attested Garda.

Other potential costs including the cost of equipment, subsistence and accommodation are not included. It is assumed that the Garda College has the capacity for this level of trainees. 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.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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263. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide the full-year cost of increasing the Garda Reserve to a strength of three thousand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42250/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities, and strengthening An Garda Síochána, including the Garda Reserve, is at the core of that. We will continue to provide An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities around Ireland are safe and this is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of over €2.48 billion to An Garda Síochána, a 27% increase since 2020.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda reserve members, under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended).

The Garda Reserve represents a real opportunity for anyone wishing to make a contribution to their community and, in some cases, learn more about the role of a Garda member prior to seeking to join An Garda Síochána full time. Reserves serve a very valuable role in assisting Gardaí with local patrols, crime reduction initiatives and administration.

Earlier this year I launched the Garda Reserve recruitment campaign, the first since 2017, which was run by Public Jobs on behalf of the Commissioner. The competition closed on 4 July and I can confirm that over 1,800 applications were received.

To further support this competition, I was pleased to bring forward new regulations governing recruitment, training and deployment of the Reserve. I believe this also represents a great opportunity to broaden the recruitment pool for An Garda Síochána particularly among communities which have not traditionally joined the service in large numbers.

I also announced an increase to the Garda Reserve stipend in June this year with up to €3,000 payable to reserve members for 200 hours of volunteering, a significant increase from the previous maximum payment of €1,000. The stipend is now paid on the following basis:

Garda Reserve members are also reimbursed for any expenses incurred by them in attending courts, tribunals or other legal proceedings outside of their hours of duty.

The Garda Reserve strength as of 31 July 2024 was 323 and to increase to a strength of 3,000 would require an additional 2,677 Garda Reserves.

I am informed by Garda Authorities that the estimated additional annual costs to increase the Garda Reserve by an additional 2,677 members would range between €1,338,500 to €8,031,000.

Other potential costs such as expenses incurred by Garda Reserves are not included in the above estimate.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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264. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide the full-year cost of recruiting an additional 100 civilian staff to An Garda Síochána; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42251/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is the accounting officer of An Garda Síochána and is responsible under the law for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including human resource matters such as the recruitment of civilian staff. As Minister, I have no direct 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, to ensure their optimum use.

I am committed to the principle that everyone should be safe, and feel safe. Ensuring that An Garda Síochána are properly resourced is key to achieving this goal. The unprecedented allocation of over €2.48 billion in Budget 2025, up 27% since 2020, demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring An Garda Síochána has provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work.

As of 28 June 2024, there are 3,502 Garda staff working alongside Garda members and carrying out vital roles to increase availability of Gardaí to focus on front-line duties. The significant increase in Garda staff in recent years has enabled 900 Gardaí to be freed up for front-line duties.

The Garda authorities have advised that the estimated full year payroll related cost of recruiting 100 Garda Staff is in the region of €5.8 million.

I am further advised that the calculation is an estimate only as it must take account of several unknowns, such as the actual grade, and date of recruitment of any new Garda staff. Hence, the above figures are annualised costs based on 50 Clerical Officers, 25 Executive Officers, 15 Higher Executive Officers and 10 Assistant Principal Officers paid at the midpoint of the current pay scale. An estimation of employer’s PRSI is also included.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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265. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for the cost of providing all front-line Gardaí with a body worn camera; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42252/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Ensuring front-line Gardaí are equipped with body-worn cameras has been a priority for me and I am glad to say that the body-worn cameras proof of concept (POC) project has now been rolled out to front-line Gardaí across five Garda stations in the Dublin Metropolitan Region, Limerick and Waterford.

Using technology to enhance policing services is part of An Garda Síochána’s Digital Strategy, and another step towards the overall goal of cultivating an information-led policing service. As part of Budget 2025, €100m of funding is being provided for ICT to equip Gardaí with the necessary tools to enhance crime prevention and detection.

This includes body worn cameras and the development of a digital evidence management system (DEMS) which will facilitate the nationwide roll-out of body worn cameras and the introduction of facial recognition technology.

The use of body worn cameras is intended to increase public confidence in policing responses, by enabling Gardaí to record incidents as they occur and provide evidence of how a particular incident unfolded, providing greater transparency, promoting accountability, and deterring criminal activity.

Body worn cameras have been used for around three months in Dublin, two months in Limerick and almost one month in Waterford. I understand from the Garda authorities that there are already a number of early successes and positive feedback received to date.

Part of the purpose of the POC is to establish an estimated total cost of ownership for body worn cameras. This total cost will depend on a number of factors, including the type of model employed (individual vs pooled), and the outcome of an EU procurement process.

The aim of the POC is to learn not just about the cost of body worn cameras but also the essential Digital Evidence Management Systems (DEMS), infrastructure and networking costs which underpin them. Data collected by the cameras is only useful when supported by the systems that can process and analyse this data and ensure the digital evidence trail is preserved. The DEMS and Image Analysis and Recognition Software (IAMS) will also be used to manage, process and analyse other sources of video evidence such as the vast amounts of CCTV footage gathered in the course of investigations.

Along with ongoing engagement with international law enforcement partners and in-house expertise, the POC will inform the procurement process for the national solution for all of An Garda Síochána. This will include an estimate of the total costs.