Tony McCormack
Question:179. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the Garda strength. [6211/26]
View answerTuesday, 27 January 2026
Questions (179)
Written answers
At the end of November 2025, the latest date for which figures are available, the total Garda personnel strength stood at over 18,200, which included 14,462 Gardaí, 3,486 Garda Staff, and 308 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.
The Programme for Government commits to examining a range of further measures to enable An Garda Síochána to recruit 5,000 members across the next five years. This Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs and Budget 2026 provides unprecedented funding of €2.74 billion to support recruitment and staffing.
It is clear that recruitment into An Garda Síochána is now gathering real momentum. I was delighted to see just under 800 Gardaí enter Templemore last year, the highest number since 2018 and I am looking forward to seeing this momentum carry on to this year.
In the interest of transparency, An Garda Síochána publishes information in relation to the allocation of Gardaí nationally. This includes a breakdown of Gardaí assigned to the nationwide and a breakdown of Garda strength.
This can be found at the following link:
www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/human-resources-and-people-development/garda-hr-directorate/garda-strength-breakdown-2025/
The Deputy should select the most recently available date and then select the file titled ‘Garda members by Division District Station to the most recent date" to access a breakdown of Garda members assigned by Division. The Deputy can select the file titled 'Garda Workforce Strength to the most recent date' to access a breakdown of the Garda Strength.
The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána under Section 33 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which includes the distribution and stationing of Garda personnel throughout the State.