asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí allocated to each district; the ratio of gardaí allocated per head of population in each of these districts; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to circulate in the Official Report a tabular statement setting out the information sought in the question in so far as it is available.

As Garda administrative areas do not correspond to the local government areas used as a basis for the census of population, figures for the number of gardaí per head of population in each Garda district are not readily available. The compilation of such figures would require the diversion of gardaí from more pressing duties, which I consider would not be justified. However, the tabular statement gives the ratio of gardaí to population in the Dublin Metropolitan Area, in each of the Garda divisions in the rest of the country and in the State as a whole. It should be noted that the strength assigned to divisional headquarters stations includes specialist staff and units that operate on a divisional basis.

As regards the number of gardaí allocated to each district, it should be borne in mind that the number varies from time to time in the light of changing needs and circumstances. I also want to make the point that population is only one of a number of factors to be taken into account in assessing the police needs of any particular area. Any attempt to compare levels of police service in different areas would need to take account of other matters, including the overall resources available to an area, such as support staff, transport and other facilities, as well as the incidence of crime in that area and any special policing needs or problems that exist there. It would be seriously misleading to regard the ratio of gardaí to population in any area as any accurate measure of the level of Garda service provided for that area.

Following is the statement:

Taking into consideration that we will not have received the details of the tabular statement until the reply is available this evening, I would ask the Minister, on the basis of the crime ratio — and I am speaking mainly about my own constituency — if, in areas where crime has increased dramatically and the gardaí there would admit to being understaffed to deal with it and taking into consideration the reduced resources of the Garda nationally, it would not be of interest to everybody concerned to ensure that if there is an oversupply of gardaí in some areas, which I believe is the case, they should be transferred to the areas where crime has increased?

I very much accept the main thrust of the Deputy's question. Having regard to information available or experience gained by the Garda about the level of crime, if there is an increase in that level, these are factors which would be taken into account by the divisional commander of the force in the relevant area. That would then be the basis for his case to be put to the Garda authorities in Dublin for allocation of additional members of the force to help him to deal with the job that is there. Of course, if there are people in the force in an area where there is not a demand for them, or if there is a greater demand somewhere else, it is a matter for the Garda Commissioner to decide to transfer those people from where they may not be fully employed to areas where they are urgently needed and where they would be more than fully employed. These would, in my view, be matters for consideration by the Garda Commissioner in allocating the manpower available, which is his prime responsibility.

Would the Minister not accept that in areas of this country there are now no gardaí on the beat? Would he not accept also that there are other areas — and I am talking about main towns — where there are a number of gardaí on the beat trying to keep out of each other's way? Would he investigate the situation in regard to the Meath area where crime has increased and where last week there was a very serious robbery? The gardaí in the station——

May I appeal for brevity?

There were four other local stations and no gardaí available to go out and investigate the incident.

I would be quite prepared to bring the comments of Deputy Farrelly to the attention of the Garda Commissioner. If there is anything further the Deputy would like to add to what he has already said — although this might not necessarily be the place where he can do that because of the nature of the parliamentary question and the supplementary question — or if he feels that he has any further information that may have any significant bearing on the problem that he says exists, I would be more than happy to bring the matter to the attention of the Garda Commissioner.

He may not be happy about it.

A final short supplementary, a Cheann Comhairle. Would the Minister ask the Garda Commissioner seriously to look at redeployment of gardaí around the country, taking into consideration the increase in the crime rate? Perhaps he would give a report to the House in due course.

There was no recruitment in 1988.

The Deputy will be aware of recent statements made by me on the question of Garda reorganisation and comments made arising therefrom to the effect that the Garda Commissioner is looking at the situation as far as deployment of the force is concerned throughout all divisions, with a view to seeing that people are properly and gainfully employed. The Deputy will also know that I have expressed the viewpoint that where gardaí are involved in desk jobs — if I may use that phrase, the question of whether they should be allowed to continue doing desk jobs should be seriously looked at with a view to civilianising those jobs, so that we might get additional members of the force who are trained to be gardaí out on the streets doing the sort of work that we would all want them to be doing.

May I ask one supplementary question?

I shall take a brief question.