Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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188. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí currently working in each of the Garda stations in Cork, by rank, in tabular form. [30203/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 distribution of Garda members between the different Garda units and Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

The 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. I was pleased to secure unprecedented funding of over €2.35 billion for this year, a 25% increase since 2020 which is supporting the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.

While the Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible for the allocation of Garda resources, I engage regularly with him to ensure our Gardaí have the resources they need. 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 and priorities as determined in delivering ‘A Policing Service for The Future’.

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.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that as of 31 May 2024, the latest date for when figures are available, there are currently around 14,000 Garda members across the country. This represents an increase of around 9% since 2015.

In the interest of transparency, information in relation to the allocation of Gardaí by Division, District, Station and Rank is publicly available and can be found at the following link:

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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189. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality where in Cork it is proposed the latest graduates from Templemore will be stationed. [30204/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The 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. I was pleased to secure unprecedented funding of over €2.35 billion for this year, a 25% increase since 2020 which is supporting the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.

While the Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible for the allocation of Garda resources, I engage regularly with him to ensure our Gardaí have the resources they need. I am informed that when consideration is given to the allocation and transfer of Garda members to and from any Division, account is given to commitments and undertakings outlined in the Annual Policing Plan and priorities as determined in delivering ‘A Policing Service for The Future’.

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.

I am advised that, since 2015, a total of 4,716 Probationer Gardaí have been assigned to Garda stations nationwide and that includes 322 so far in 2024.

I am informed that 3 Probationer Gardaí were assigned to Cork North and 7 Probationer Gardaí were assigned to Cork City on the 28 June, the date of the latest attestation.

The attached table, which was provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of Probationer Gardaí assigned to Cork City, Cork North and Cork West in the years 2015 up to 2023 and in 2024 up to 28 June, the date of the latest attestation. Please be advised that these figures are operational and may be subject to change.