Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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288. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Gardaí in each Cork station in each month over the past two years.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45509/24]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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289. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of and which stations have seen a reduction of ten Gardaí or more since 2009, excluding stations closed entirely in this period; and what that reduction has been (details supplied). [45510/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 288 and 289 together.

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 September there were 14,125 Garda members assigned across the country. This represents an increase of over 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 and most recently increased the training allowance to €354, representing an increase of over 92% in the last 12 months.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that the information is not available in the format requested.

However, the number of Garda members nationwide at the end of December 2009 up to the end of December 2023, and at 30 June 2024, the latest date available for figures broken down by Division, District and Station are published on my Department's website at the link below. Please be advised that these figures are operational and may be subject to change.

I am pleased to note that the number of Garda members assigned to Cork City has increased by over 2% since the end of December 2015, Cork North has seen an increase of 8%, while Cork West has seen an increase of almost 1.5%.

In the interest of transparency, information in relation to the allocation of Probationer Gardaí by Division and Station breakdown is publicly available and can also be found at the following link. I can also advise the Deputy that I have received the most recent figures for the attestation on 20 September 2024 from An Garda Síochána which has been published on the website.

www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/.