Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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577. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new unmarked Garda vans attached to the fleet in 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and the number of unmarked vans withdrawn from the fleet during same period. [59073/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose, policing service. Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, of which I am informed that €10m has been allocated for investment in the Garda fleet.

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the purchase, allocation, and effective and efficient use of Garda vehicles. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review to ensure their optimum use in light of identified operational needs and emerging crime trends.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that as of 28 October 2022, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 3,297 vehicles attached to the Garda feet which includes 514 vans. This represents an increase of almost 2% since the end of December 2021 when there were 3,240 vehicles assigned to the Garda fleet nationwide.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that the table below sets out the number of unmarked Garda vans allocated to and removed from the Garda fleet in 2021 and 2022.

The Deputy may also wish to be aware that An Garda Síochána publish information on Garda fleet, including a Divisional/District monthly breakdown, on their website at:

www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/finance-services/finance-fleet-management.html

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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578. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she influenced the decision to rename GSOC the Office of the Police Ombudsman; her views on whether, 100 years after the formation of An Garda Síochána, the decision to delete the word gardaí from the new Ombudsman’s Office is a retrograde step in terms of heritage and the Irish language. [59081/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill which was approved by Government on 22 November 2022 provides for the substantial reform of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission having regard to the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI).

As part of that reform the Ombudsman Commission is to be renamed Oifig an Ombudsman don Phóilíniú, or in the English language, Office of the Police Ombudsman to reinforce its independence from An Garda Síochána.

In particular, as identified by CoFPI, and supported by research undertaken by the Ombudsman Commission itself, the current name of the Commission by incorporating “Garda Síochána” presents a difficulty as some members of the public assume it is part of An Garda Síochána. This misconception creates challenges in engendering understanding of the Ombudsman Commission’s work. This concern was also raised by a number of stakeholders in the course of the pre-legislative scrutiny process undertaken by the Joint Committee on Justice on the General Scheme of the Bill.

As the body that is charged with independently investigating complaints from the public, it is important that the name of the body clearly conveys its independence from the body that it is overseeing, namely An Garda Síochána.

With regard to the importance of the Irish language, the Deputy may wish to note that the Bill gives primacy to the Irish language when naming the various bodies provided for under the Bill.