Politics

Almost €1m spent by Garda on cars to transport Ministers

Garda purchased 16 new vehicles in past two years, as more gardaí assigned to Ministers due to rise in far-right protests

Garda vehicles parked outside Pearse Street station in Dublin's city centre. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
Garda vehicles parked outside Pearse Street station in Dublin's city centre. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
Ken Foxe
Thu Jun 20 2024 - 18:45

The Garda has spent almost €1 million buying cars to use for ministerial transport over the past two years.

A total of €971,556 has been paid out for 16 new vehicles, at an average cost of about €61,000 each, according to Garda records.

The outlay came following a Government decision in late 2022 that saw gardaí assigned to all Ministers just over a decade after a cost-saving plan for civilian drivers was first introduced.

The change was made following a security review by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and in the context of a rise in protests by far-right and racist extremists.

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There are now 37 cars in the Garda ministerial fleet, 24 of which are Audi A6 vehicles, while another eight are BMWs. Also part of the Government transport pool is a Ford Transit, two Hyundai Ioniqs, one Lexus and a Mercedes S 350 that is now 10 years old.

[ Garda to get extra €4.3m for vehicular fleet ]

More than half the fleet runs on diesel, with 21 of the vehicles operating with environmentally unfriendly engines. Fourteen of the cars are hybrid, mostly plug-ins, while only two – the Hyundai Ioniqs – are fully electric.

Some of the vehicles appear destined for replacement soon after running up significant mileage. A 2014 Audi A6, for example, has nearly 410,000 kilometres on its odometer while three 2013 Audis have clocked up between 332,000 and 367,000 kilometres each.