Darren O'Rourke
Question:116. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the percentage of members of An Garda Síochána who have a competency-based driving permit at Level 4. [31473/23]
View answerWednesday, 28 June 2023
Questions (116)
Written answers
I have contacted An Garda Síochána for the information requested by the Deputy, regretfully this information was not available in time. I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 116 of 28 June 2023 where you sought: “The percentage of members of An Garda Síochána who have a competency-based driving permit at Level 4.”
As you will recall, I had sought the information you requested from the Garda authorities and undertook to contact you again once the information was to hand.
The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and a strengthened, well-resourced An Garda Síochána is central to this policy. This commitment is demonstrated by the unprecedented allocation of over €2 billion to the Garda Vote this year, which is allowing for sustained and ongoing recruitment and investment in new equipment and vehicles.
As you 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 for the recruitment, training and deployment of Garda members. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.
I am however assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.
It is worth noting that, Competency-Based Driving (CBD) level 4 courses, are run solely for the selection of members to serve as driving instructors attached to the Garda College. As such this course is only run once the need arises to fill vacancies within the driving schools attached to the Garda College.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that the current number of Gardaí under the remit of the Driver Training school who have completed CBD level 4 training is 43. This represents 0.3% of the Garda workforce, which as of 31/07/2023 stands at 13,943.
I am also advised that no CBD Level 4 courses were held in 2019 or 2020. There were 6 CBD Level 4 courses held in 2021 and I understand that 31 candidates were successful in completing the course. I am informed that there were no level 4 courses in 2022 or to date in 2023.