Question
182. Deputy John Lahart asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide a breakdown of rank numbers in the Garda Síochána for the years 2010 to 2015, in tabular form. [12781/16]
Answer
Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Frances Fitzgerald): As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keeps this distribution under continuing review taking into account crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources.
The following table sets out the number of members of An Garda Síochána by rank on the 31 December each year from 2010 to 2015.
An Garda Síochána by Rank 2010-2015
| Rank | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| Commissioner | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Deputy Commissioner | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | *0 | 2 |
| Assistant Commissioner | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| Chief Superintendent | 45 | 37 | 41 | 44 | 39 | 42 |
| Superintendent | 170 | 149 | 153 | 147 | 140 | 160 |
| Inspector | 336 | 319 | 262 | 270 | 297 | 247 |
| Sergeant | 2,135 | 2,024 | 1,903 | 1,860 | 1,919 | 1,835 |
| Garda | 11,679 | 11,355 | 11,053 | 10,762 | 10,395 | 10,524 |