Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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210. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to bring in more civilians to work in An Garda Síochána; and the new roles they will have. [5131/25]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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223. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reforms he is encouraging the Garda Commissioner to implement to ensure there is less time spent by Gardaí doing office work. [5146/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 210 and 223 together.

At the outset I'm sure the Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes all operational policing matters. As Minister I have no role in these matters and cannot seek to direct the Commissioner in relation to such.

I can assure the Deputy that completing the implementation of the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI) is a key priority for me as Minister for Justice. Recommendation 20 of the Commission’s Report relates to the release of Garda members from non-core duties to front line duties.

It is worth noting the major increase in Garda staff numbers over the last ten years where the number of whole time equivalents has increased from approximately 2,000 to 3,500, a 75% increase. Over this time, these additional staff have freed up 900 Gardaí for deployment to frontline duties, as well as providing expertise in support of the investigation of crime.

In January of this year, the nationwide transfer of immigration registration functions from An Garda Síochána to my Department was completed. This completes the full civilianisation of the Garda administrative immigration functions.

Prior to this transfer over 100 Gardaí were assigned to immigration duties. The release of these Gardaí now enables Garda management to focus resources more on enforcement and operational matters such as deportations and investigations.

Work is ongoing in my Department to progress the other recommendations, working in conjunction with An Garda Síochána and other Departments and Agencies.

CoFPI also recommended that Garda staff be recruited directly to An Garda Síochána as public servants, rather than to the Civil Service. A central tenet of the CoFPI report was that An Garda Síochána should be seen and treated as a single organisation with a single workforce who share a common mission. It found that more integrated workforce structures were required to leverage the different skills and perspectives of Garda members and Garda staff and thereby to contribute to enhancing the capacity of the organisation to deliver better policing outcomes.

It is for this reason that the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 provides that Garda staff will in future be recruited and appointed by the Garda Commissioner as public servants. Senior members of Garda civilian staff will be appointed by the Commissioner with the approval of Bord an Garda Síochána.

There are currently over 14,000 Garda members across the country. These are supported by 3,500 Garda Staff bringing the total Garda workforce, including reserves to over 18,000. This is the highest year end total Garda workforce ever.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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211. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he has plans to increase the retirement age for An Garda Síochána members; if so, what age he is going to look to implement; and his timelines for doing so. [5132/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy may be aware that, last September, the Government increased the age of retirement from 60 to 62. This means that Gardaí who wish to work on to 62 may do so. Government took this decision on foot of a request from the Garda Commissioner and the Garda representative associations.

This increase in the mandatory retirement age reflects the reality that people can and want to work in their chosen careers for longer. It is also important that An Garda Síochána, as an organisation, can retain the knowledge and expertise of experienced people where possible.

The Garda authorities will monitor the effect of the recent changes and will keep me informed accordingly. While I am open to considering further increases to the retirement age of Garda members who wish to continue to work, I will await an assessment of the impact of the recent changes before considering the matter further.

I can assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda Síochána is central to this policy. This commitment is demonstrated by the unprecedented provision of more than €2.48 in Budget 2025. This funding will support the recruitment of new Garda members, Garda staff and Garda Reserves, and reflects the Government’s commitment to supporting all parts of the organisation.