Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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563. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide the value of the Garda vote in Budgets 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42536/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is the accounting officer for An Garda Síochána, and is responsible for the Garda budget. The Government is committed to providing the Commissioner with the resources he needs, and Garda funding has increased by over €500m (up 27% since 2020), bringing the total for the 2025 Budget to €2.48 billion.

I can advise the Deputy that the table below sets out the gross budget allocation for An Garda Síochána for each year since 2015.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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564. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide an update on policing resources in County Kildare, particularly in relation to community safety in growing urban centres like Naas and Maynooth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42547/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the deployment of Garda members throughout the State.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that a distribution model is used which takes into account all relevant factors including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each individual Division.

I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that personnel assigned throughout the country, together with the overall policing arrangements and operational strategies are continually monitored and reviewed. Such monitoring ensures that optimum use is made of resources and the best possible policing service is provided to the general public.

The Government is committed to supporting Garda recruitment. In Budget 2025 over €2.48 billion has been allocated to An Garda Síochána. This is a 27% increase since 2020 and will allow for the sustained recruitment of new Garda recruits through to next year.

As of the end of June, the latest date for which verified and published figures are available, there were over 14,000 Garda members assigned across the country. This represents an increase of approximately 10% since 2015, when there were 12,816 Gardaí throughout the country.

A number of actions have been taken to support increased recruitment. We have increased the age of entry from 35 to 50, extended the retirement age to 62, and most recently increased the training allowance to €354. This represents an increase of over 92% in the last 12 months.

The response to this year’s Garda recruitment campaign in January and February was very strong. I am advised by the Garda authorities that 6,381 people applied for the 2024 Garda Trainee Competition. The Commissioner has also recently committed to running recruitment campaigns annually.

This year, 186 trainees entered the Garda college in April, another 157 entered in July, and a further 125 entered in September. One more intake is scheduled for December of this year.

I can inform the Deputy that at the end of June 2024 there were 418 Gardaí in the Kildare Division. This includes 16 Probationer Gardaí allocated to the Division this year in the March, June and September attestations.

I can also inform the Deputy that there are 18 dedicated Community Gardaí across this Division as of the end of June 2024, which represents a 100% increase since 2020.

They are supported by 34 Garda Staff members as of the end of June 2024. Garda staff provide vital administrative support and help free up Garda members to focus on front line duties.

As of June 2024, there are 141 Gardaí allocated to the Naas Station, and 14 Gardaí allocated to the Maynooth station.