An Garda Síochána

Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Questions (257)

Patrick Costello

Question:

257. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the number of Gardaí injured in the course of their duties over each of the last five years and for how long each of them were unable to attend work as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26190/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I have requested the information sought by the Deputy from the Garda authorities. Unfortunately the information was not received on time. I will contact the Deputy directly once the information is available.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51.

I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 257 of 18 June 2024 where you sought: “To ask the Minister for Justice the number of Gardaí injured in the course of their duties over each of the last five years and for how long each of them were unable to attend work as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter.”

You will recall that the information could not be obtained in the time available and I undertook to consult with An Garda Síochána and contact you again when the requested information was available.

As you will be aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes Garda HR matters. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

The Government has consistently sought to support the mental and physical wellbeing of Gardaí in recent years. In Budget 2024, the government provided €6m for Garda wellbeing initiatives, additional medical costs and over 2,500 units of body armour.

An Garda Síochána has introduced a range of measures in recent years to support front-line Gardaí including an increase in personal safety equipment and in the number of front-line supervisors.

There are also a number of support systems in place to help Gardaí address issues of stress and mental health. These include an Employee Assistance Service, as well as trauma counselling and peer support.

The table below, provided to me by the Garda authorities, details the number of Gardaí who reported sustaining an injury in the course of their duties. The number of Gardaí are categorised by the anticipated days absent from work between 2019 up to 13 June 2024.

Year	0 Days (non-reportable	1-3 days (non-reportable)	4-6 days	7-13 days	14-20 days	21 days < 1 month	1 Month< 3 months	3months < 6months	+6 months	Total
2019	147	135	47	44	29	30	89	26	36	583
2020	170	107	43	55	38	36	68	31	22	570
2021	145	114	39	68	37	33	84	29	28	577
2022	130	123	41	61	35	28	71	31	28	548
2023	189	144	46	74	50	41	109	41	27	721
2024	66	49	21	28	21	12	33	<10	<10	230*
Total	847	672	237	330	210	180	454	158*	141*	3229*

I am informed that An Garda Síochána do not provide additional information on counts that are fewer than 10. In cases where the requested figures amount to a total of fewer than 10, the personnel referenced may be identifiable to the general public, thus posing a potential risk to their safety. Therefore, total counts for absences of a duration of 3-6 months, 6+months, and the total for 2024 and overall total are impacted. Furthermore, An Garda Síochána, along with fellow Government Departments and public bodies, is bound by existing Data Protection legislation; the release of figures of fewer than 10 has the potential to compromise the protection and privacy of individuals employed by An Garda Síochána and moreover constitute a breach of this legislation and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

I hope the above is of assistance.