Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
750. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of serving members of An Garda Síochána have been promoted after being formally charged with or convicted of an offence under section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 or under the Domestic Violence Act since 2015. [6120/26]
View answerAt the outset it is important to note that the vast majority of Garda members serve with integrity and distinction.
Of course for the public to have absolute confidence in a police service, they must have faith that when the law is broken by those who are responsible for upholding it, the same treatment will apply to those who wear the uniform as those who don’t.
I would like to assure the Deputy that this is the case. Furthermore the Deputy may be interested to note that An Garda Síochána provide monthly figures in their report to the Policing and Community Safety Authority on the number of Gardaí who are currently suspended, along with a breakdown of the reason behind that suspension.
These reports are published on the Garda website at the link below:
[Commissioner's Monthly Reports to Policing and Community Safety Authority - Garda] www.garda.ie/en/about-us/publications/general-reports/commissioner-s-monthly-reports-to-policing-and-community-safety-authority/.
www.garda.ie/en/about-us/publications/general-reports/commissioner-s-monthly-reports-to-policing-and-community-safety-authority/
Matters relating to the internal discipline of the Garda organisation, and whether disciplinary action should be taken against Gardaí are solely the responsibility of the Commissioner. As Minister, I play no role in these independent functions.
I am informed by Garda authorities that An Garda Síochána do not retain a central record on the number of serving Gardaí who have been promoted after being formally charged with or convicted of an offence under section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 or under the Domestic Violence Act since 2015. However I am also informed that charges or convictions arising from these offences are factors that would be considered as part of any disciplinary process undertaken.
The Deputy may also wish to note that significant reforms have been introduced to An Garda Síochána in recent years. A review into how domestic violence investigations against Gardaí are conducted was undertaken and the outcome of this work has been fed into An Garda Síochána’s Domestic Abuse Intervention Policy and has informed changes to investigative procedures and training.
