Matt Carthy
Ceist:92. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline his plans to increase the Garda training allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68326/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 4 December 2025
Ceisteanna (92)
Freagraí scríofa
Getting more Gardaí on our streets to prevent and detect crime is my first priority as Minister.
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. This Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs and Budget 2026 provides unprecedented funding of €2.59 billion to support recruitment and staffing.
The Garda Trainee allowance increased from €305 to €354 per week with effect from 1 October 2024 and has almost doubled – an increase of €170 per week.
Insofar as further increases to the allowance are concerned, these will be considered in the normal course and in the context of the overall Garda recruitment situation.
It is worth highlighting however, that for first time ever, there were two Garda recruitment competitions held this year. There was significant interest in both competitions, with over 11,100 people applying to join An Garda Síochána this year. This demonstrates that there is a strong and sustained interest in a career as a Garda amongst the public.
It is clear that recruitment into An Garda Síochána is now gathering real momentum. I was delighted to see 223 Gardaí enter Templemore earlier this month, the largest single intake in over a decade. This was the second intake of 200 or more this year. Overall, 794 trainees have entered the Garda College in 2025, the highest number since 2018.