Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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59. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans for increasing the Garda training allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54039/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government commits to examining a range of further measures to enable An Garda Síochána recruit 5,000 members across the next five years, including changes to the Garda trainee allowance.

The Garda Trainee allowance increased from €305 to €354 per week with effect from 1 October 2024 and has increased by a total of €170 per week when compared with 2023.

Insofar as further increases to the allowance are concerned, these will be considered in the normal course in the context of the overall Garda recruitment situation.

The Deputy will also be aware that a Recruitment and Training Capacity Group was established in 2024 to support the achievement of increased recruitment.

The Group has now completed its work and its report has been published on my Department's website. Overall, the Group has concluded that the Government's recruitment plans are achievable but challenging.

The Group has recommended, inter alia, that research be conducted to gain further insights into the decision-making process of potential Garda recruits, to help inform further enhancements to the recruitment process. I expect that one of the issues that may be considered in this context is the Trainee allowance.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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60. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to outline in detail the costs to An Garda Síochána of the visit of President Joe Biden in 2023. [50434/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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High level visits to Ireland are of significant importance in the development and maintenance of our relations with other States. Such visits are to be welcomed and offer important opportunities to us, as a small outward-looking country, for positive engagement with partners.

There is an obligation on the State to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of every visiting dignitary, in line with risk assessment. Similar measures and courtesies are as a matter of course also extended to Ireland, when the President and members of Government travel on official visits to other States.

I have been advised by the Garda authorities that a cost of €31.86 million is recorded as incurred by An Garda Síochána in relation to the visit of the US President in April 2023 to Ireland.

A breakdown of this figure is provided below:

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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62. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps he is taking to increase recruitment to An Garda Síochána. [53287/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Getting more Gardaí on our streets to prevent crime is my first priority as Minister for Justice.

This Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda organisation is central to this policy.

The Programme for Government commits to examining a range of further measures to enable An Garda Síochána recruit 5,000 members across the next five years.

The Garda Vote in Budget 2026 includes unprecedented funding of €2.59 billion which will support the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.

At the end of August, the total Garda personnel strength stood at over 18,000, which included 14,369 Garda Members, 3,494 Staff, and 296 Reserves.

I will continue to support An Garda Síochána to increase this number further so that we can see more Gardaí assigned all across the country.

Significant measures have been made to boost recruitment and retention including by increasing the Garda trainee allowance to €354 per week; increasing the age of entry from 35 to 50; and raising the mandatory retirement age to 62.

The Garda recruitment campaign in February attracted over 6,700 applications which is significant given the economy is at full employment. The second competition for this year is currently underway and closes on 9 October. This will ensure that there is a strong pipeline of recruits into An Garda Síochána and will enable the Commissioner to deliver an effective, highly-visible policing service.

149 probationer Gardaí attested in March, 120 attested in June, and 154 attested in August, giving a total of 423 so far this year, with one further attestation scheduled for November of this year.

A Recruitment and Training Capacity Group has been established to support the achievement of the increased recruitment to AGS. The group has submitted a report on actions to maximise future intakes and to ensure that recruitment campaigns are as effective as possible. This report has been published and is available on my Department’s website.

The Government has provided the funding to allow for sustained recruitment and, as I have outlined, is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs.

I would like to assure the Deputy that an increased, and a visible Garda presence, is central to the Government's aim to build safe and secure communities for the public to enjoy.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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65. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps he is taking to tackle Garda recruitment and retention including Garda numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54118/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government commits to examining a range of further measures to enable An Garda Síochána recruit 5,000 members across the next five years.

The Garda Vote in Budget 2026 includes unprecedented funding of €2.59 billion which will support the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.

At the end of August, the total Garda personnel strength stood at over 18,000, which included 14,369 Garda Members, 3,494 Staff, and 296 Reserves.

Significant measures have been made to boost recruitment and retention that include increasing the Garda trainee allowance to €354 per week; increasing the age of entry from 35 to 50; and raising the mandatory retirement age to 62.

By any objective standard, the proportion of Garda resignations remains very low with the resignation rate currently between 1 and 2%. I understand this turnover is far below the level experienced by UK police services (approximately 10%) and across the rest of the public sector in Ireland or in the private sector (between 10% and 20%).

An exit interview process was introduced in 2023, to better understand why people opted to resign, and to inform measures which could aid retention. In 2025 an exit interview survey was introduced to further extend the sample reached.

In February this year, the first Garda recruitment competition for 2025 was launched. This is the fourth such competition in recent years and despite the challenging labour market conditions, I am delighted to say that over 6,700 applications were received. This demonstrates the continued interest in a career as a member An Garda Síochána.

A second Garda recruitment competition launched on 16 September and closes on 9 October. I would encourage anyone with an interest in what can be a challenging but always highly rewarding career to visit publicjobs.ie

In total this year, 571 trainee Gardaí have entered the college, with another intake due in November, ensuring a growing pipeline of trainee Gardaí.

In August 154 new Gardaí attested with 120 attesting in June and 149 in March. These Gardaí have now been allocated to stations around the country.

A Recruitment and Training Capacity Group has been established to support the achievement of the increased recruitment to AGS. The group has submitted a report on actions to maximise future intakes and to ensure that recruitment campaigns are as effective as possible. This report has been published and is available on my Department’s website.

The Government has provided the funding to allow for sustained recruitment and, as I have outlined, is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs.

I would like to assure the Deputy that an increased, and a visible Garda presence, is central to the Government's aim to build safe and secure communities for the public to enjoy.