Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 June 2025
632. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 896 of 13 May, if he has received the necessary information from the Garda authorities in order for this PQ to be answered. [33967/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to Parliamentary Question No. 896 of 13 May 2025 where you sought:
“To ask the Minister for Justice the number of competitions held for sworn Gardai to apply to join Divisional Collision Forensic Investigation Units, in 2024 and to date in 2025; and the number of Gardai that applied during each competition held, in tabular form.”
As you will recall, I sought the information from the Garda authorities and undertook to contact you again once the information was to hand.
A reply was issued to you on 3 June 2025.
A Forensic Collision Investigator (FCI) is a Garda member trained to forensically reconstruct a road traffic collision. They are based nationwide and are called to the scene of fatal collisions, or serious injury collisions likely to result in a fatality. They assist the investigating team in ascertaining the cause of the collision. They have been in operation since 2006 and are an invaluable resource in collision investigation.
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. This includes all operational policing and being responsible for the allocation and deployment of resources available to him. Furthermore, under section 34 of the Policing Security and Community Safety Act 2024, the Garda Commissioner is independent in the performance of his functions.
I am informed by Garda authorities, based on information received as of 16 May 2025, that the below table provides the information requested on Forensic Collision Investigator competitions in 2024, and that no competitions have been held to date in 2025. I am further advised that a competition is due to be advertised for Sergeant & Garda rank in the near future.
|
Competition |
Rank |
No. of Applicants |
|
HQ.012.2024 |
Garda |
26 |
|
HQ.030.2024 |
Sergeant/Inspector |
10 |
