Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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799. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of bench warrants that are currently outstanding in the Garda C district within DMR as of 29 October 2024; of the number of bench warrants, the number that have been outstanding for periods of nine months or more, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45076/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, difficulties in relation to the execution of warrants, including bench warrants, are a long-standing issue for many police services around the world; notably relating to persons actively seeking to evade detection and where limited identification information might be available to support enforcement. I am assured, however, that An Garda Síochána executes warrants as expeditiously as possible, giving priority to the execution of warrants relating to serious crimes.

The Deputy will also appreciate that the figure for outstanding bench warrants recorded by PULSE at any given time reflects an accumulation of old bench warrants which have arisen over the years. Therefore, the total figure for outstanding bench warrants as shown on PULSE may not be a reliable indicator of the number of 'live' warrants which are actually enforceable.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that the table below shows the number of bench warrants that were outstanding on the 29 October 2024 in Store Street District (C District).

The figures provided were collated based on data from PULSE as of 31 October 2024. They are operational and liable to change.