Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 June 2024
278. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of competitions held for sworn gardaí to apply to join the Garda national economic crime bureau in 2023 and to date in 2024; the number of gardaí, by rank, who applied for each of those competitions to join GNECB in the years in question, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26778/24]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of Garda business, including for the allocation of Garda members and staff to a given unit. 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. The 2024 allocation provides a budget of over €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána, representing a 25% increase since 2020. This unprecedented budget will strengthen the work of specialist units within An Garda Síochána such as the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau. Furthermore, as part of Budget 2024's unprecedented allocation, €155 million has been allocated for digital capital investment and IT.
I am assured that the Commissioner keeps the allocation of these resources under continued review, in line with crime and population trends, to ensure their optimum use.
The table below, provided to me by the Garda authorities, outlines the number of competitions held for sworn Gardaí to apply to join the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) in 2023. To date there have been no competitions in 2024. The table also gives the number of Gardaí, by rank, who applied for each of those competitions to join the GNECB. I am advised that the Garda authorities will not report on numbers that are less than 10 for operational reasons.
|
YEAR |
COMPETITIONS |
INSPECTORS |
SERGEANTS |
GARDAÍ |
|
2023 |
1 |
* |
16 |
83 |
|
2024 |
Nil |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
* Denotes fewer than 10
