Peadar Tóibín
Question:62. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps he is taking to increase recruitment to An Garda Síochána. [53287/25]
View answerThursday, 9 October 2025
Questions (62)
Written answers
Getting more Gardaí on our streets to prevent crime is my first priority as Minister for Justice.
This 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.
The Programme for Government commits to examining a range of further measures to enable An Garda Síochána recruit 5,000 members across the next five years.
The Garda Vote in Budget 2026 includes unprecedented funding of €2.59 billion which will support the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.
At the end of August, the total Garda personnel strength stood at over 18,000, which included 14,369 Garda Members, 3,494 Staff, and 296 Reserves.
I will continue to support An Garda Síochána to increase this number further so that we can see more Gardaí assigned all across the country.
Significant measures have been made to boost recruitment and retention including by increasing the Garda trainee allowance to €354 per week; increasing the age of entry from 35 to 50; and raising the mandatory retirement age to 62.
The Garda recruitment campaign in February attracted over 6,700 applications which is significant given the economy is at full employment. The second competition for this year is currently underway and closes on 9 October. This will ensure that there is a strong pipeline of recruits into An Garda Síochána and will enable the Commissioner to deliver an effective, highly-visible policing service.
149 probationer Gardaí attested in March, 120 attested in June, and 154 attested in August, giving a total of 423 so far this year, with one further attestation scheduled for November of this year.
A Recruitment and Training Capacity Group has been established to support the achievement of the increased recruitment to AGS. The group has submitted a report on actions to maximise future intakes and to ensure that recruitment campaigns are as effective as possible. This report has been published and is available on my Department’s website.
The Government has provided the funding to allow for sustained recruitment and, as I have outlined, is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs.
I would like to assure the Deputy that an increased, and a visible Garda presence, is central to the Government's aim to build safe and secure communities for the public to enjoy.
Question No. 63 answered with Question No. 39.
Question No. 64 answered with Question No. 37.