Pauline Tully
Question:780. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Justice the estimated cost of increasing the size of the Garda Reserve to 900 before the end of 2026. [45011/24]
View answerTuesday, 5 November 2024
Questions (780)
Written answers
I can assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources needed to Keep People Safe. This is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of €2.48 billion in Budget 2025. This represents a 27% increase in funding since 2020.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda Reserve members, under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended).
The Garda Reserve represents a real opportunity for anyone wishing to make a contribution to their community and, in some cases, learn more about the role of a Garda member prior to seeking to join An Garda Síochána full time. Reserves serve a very valuable role in assisting Gardaí with local patrols, crime reduction initiatives and administration.
There are currently around 325 Garda Reserves, as of the end of June 2024, and we have set a target of 1,000 Reserves by 2026. The Government is committed to working with the Garda Commissioner to achieve this goal.
A competition to recruit Garda Reserves opened in June, the first in many years. Garda Reserves play a vital role in their communities, and the revised regulations brought forward will allow them to contribute even more effectively. The Garda Reserve competition closed in early July and received over 1,800 applications.
To further support this competition, I was pleased to bring forward new regulations governing recruitment, training and deployment of the Reserve. I believe this also represents a great opportunity to broaden the recruitment pool for An Garda Síochána, particularly among communities which have not traditionally joined the service in large numbers.
To help support the work of Reserves, we have increased the maximum stipend a Reserve member receives for voluntary service in a given year from €1,000 to €3,000.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that to increase the Garda Reserve to a strength of 900 by the end of 2026 would require an additional 577 Garda Reserves. The Garda Authorities advise hat the estimated additional annual cost attached to such an increase would range between €288,500 to €1,731,000 depending on many factors including the amount of hours of service per Reserve.
Other potential costs such as expenses incurred by Garda Reserves are not included in the above estimate.