Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
814. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on the merits of creating greater civilianisation within An Garda Síochána to reduce the administrative burden placed on Gardaí; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34464/26]
View answer815. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding any review within his Department that seeks to create greater civilianisation within An Garda Síochána to reduce the administrative burden placed on Gardaí; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34465/26]
View answer816. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding any engagement he has had with the Garda Commissioner in relation to civilianisation within An Garda Síochána to reduce the administrative burden placed on Gardaí; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34466/26]
View answer817. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the number of civilian roles within An Garda Síochána, by position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34467/26]
View answer818. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the number of civilian roles within An Garda Síochána, by year since 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34468/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 814, 815, 816, 817 and 818 together.
My first priority as Minister is to get more Gardaí on our streets through increased recruitment and appropriate civilianisation where possible.
The overall Garda workforce, which includes Gardaí, Garda Staff and Reserves currently stands at over 18,000.
As of the end of March 2026, the latest date for when figures are available, there are 3,495 whole time equivalent Garda Staff within An Garda Síochána, accounting for over 19% of the overall Garda workforce, This represents an increase of over 74% since 2015 when there were approximately 2,000 Garda Staff.
Garda Staff are an integral part of our police service and they are involved in the provision of a wide range of administrative, professional and technical services. As well as providing clerical support and financial management functions in Garda stations and offices across the country, Garda Staff carry out a range of specialised support roles.
In recent years, these additional staff have provided expertise in support of the investigation of crime and freed up 900 Gardaí for deployment to frontline duties. This proportion of Garda Staff to sworn members is still relatively low by international standards and I look forward to further civilianisation in key areas in the coming years.
In September 2018, the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI) published its Report outlining a clear vision and roadmap for strengthening An Garda Síochána and the broader national framework for policing, security and community safety. A key pillar of the proposed reforms was to bring more Gardaí to the frontline through civilianisation, contributing to the strategic vision for the organisation, building a stronger skill mix and delivering a better service to the public. There are advantages in having non-sworn personnel working at all levels of the organisation, bringing with them different skills and different perspectives, contributing to both the professionalism of policing and the effectiveness of the organisation.
The implementation of recommendations from CoFPI regarding increasing civilianisation can be seen in different areas. For example, prior to November 2024, An Garda Síochána carried out a number of immigration functions, including the renewal of immigration permissions. The transfer of these functions to the Department’s Immigration Service Delivery function from November 2024 has resulted in the release of over 100 Gardaí, enabling Garda management to focus resources more on enforcement and operational matters such as deportations and investigations.
CoFPI also recommended that Garda Staff be recruited directly to An Garda Síochána as public servants, rather than to the Civil Service. The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 provides for this.
As Minister, it is my role to support the Commissioner in ensuring he has the resources he needs. Budget 2026 provides unprecedented funding of €2.74 billion to support recruitment and staffing. This will support recruitment of up to 1,000 Gardai, 200 more Garda staff and additional members of the Garda Reserve.
The Garda Commissioner keeps the distribution of resources under continual review, and I engage regularly with him to ensure that An Garda Síochána have the resources they need to keep our communities safe.
An Garda Síochána publishes information in relation to the allocation of Garda civilian Staff by Division.
Information for 2026 can be found at the following link:
https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/human-resources-and-people-development/garda-hr-directorate/garda-strength-breakdown-2026/garda-strength-breakdown-2026.html
Information for 2010 to 2025 years can be found at the following link:
https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/human-resources-and-people-development/garda-hr-directorate/garda-strength-breakdown-2025/december-2025.html
Details of Garda Staff by grade are also published monthly in the Commissioner's reports to the Policing and Community Safety Authority, available at the below link:
https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/publications/general-reports/commissioner-s-monthly-reports-to-policing-and-community-safety-authority/
