Justice | Strength of An Garda Síochána

To ask the Minister for Justice his plans to increase the strength of An Garda Síochána in the short-term; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

I would like to assure the Deputy that the Government remains committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to perform its vital role in local communities across the country. This ongoing commitment is reflected in the unprecedented Garda allocation of over €2 billion in Budget 2023 which provides for the recruiting of a further 1,000 Garda members.

I very much support the Commissioner’s ambition to accelerate Garda recruitment coming out of the COVID pandemic.

A new Garda recruitment competition will be commenced in the coming months and the Commissioner and his team have assured me that the target to recruit 1,000 new Gardaí in 2023 will be achieved. I will continue to engage closely with the Commissioner in relation to the delivery of this recruitment target.

I am confident that An Garda Síochána will continue to attract the numbers required to keep the public safe and I can assure the Deputy that this Government will not be found wanting in its support for this objective.