Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed that when allocating and transferring Garda members to and from any Division, consideration is given to commitments and undertakings outlined in the Annual Policing Plan.

I understand that the requirements of all Garda Divisions nationwide are also taken into account, which include:

• Local and national crime trends and workloads;
• Policing arrangements and operational strategies;
• Minimum establishment statistics;
• Local population and trends, geographical area and size;
• Transfer applications, including welfare, personnel issues and concerns.

It is also worth noting that An Garda Síochána operate a divisional model and do not police on a station-by-station basis. The opening hours or allocations to individual Garda stations is not equivalent to the availability of Gardaí patrolling in the community. Policing for an area will be delivered using all resources in a Community Engagement area and supported by Divisional resources and units.

In the interest of transparency, information in relation to the allocation of Garda members (including County Laois) by Station, District, and Division from 2009 up to the latest available date for figures, is publicly available and can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice/publications/an-garda-síochána-human-resources-statistics/

As of 28 February 2025 there were 391 garda members and 57 Garda staff available in the Laois/ Offaly Garda Division. There are also 10 Garda Reserves in the Division.

As of the end of April there were 78 Garda vehicles available in the Division, which is an increase of 16% on 2020.

The Programme for Government commits to recruiting 5,000 Gardaí over five years. The Garda workforce is currently at its highest ever level, at almost 18,000 people, comprising 14,146 members, 3,502 staff and 318 reserves.