Fewer than one in five gardaí have basic training in the use of roadside breathalysers, and fewer still are able to operate station-based intoxilysers.
Figures released by the Department of Justice show that by the start of last month 2,160 gardaí had been trained in the use of roadside breathalysers. Some 1,752 members of the force are trained in the use of the intoxilyser, or evidential breath testing equipment which is based in Garda stations.
There are currently about 12,000 gardaí around the country, although the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, predicts a strength of some 14,000, including student gardaí, by the end of this year.
Intoxylisers test drivers' breath for the level of alcohol and eliminate the need for a doctor to take a blood or urine sample, but they have been the subject of a number of legal challenges in recent years. Only 64 stations have an intoxilyser available, the figures also reveal.
The figures were released to Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell in a written Dáil reply. "It just shows that while we have had all the fanfare in relation to the introduction of penalty points, the real groundwork hasn't been done . . . Obviously the current situation puts huge pressure on the couple of staff in a particular station who are trained. They can't be on duty every night."
A spokeswoman for Mr McDowell said the level of Garda training in the use of breathalysing equipment was an operational issue for Garda management.
In the Dáil reply, Mr McDowell acknowledges that "training in the use of the roadside breathalyser and the intoxilyser continues on an ongoing basis. Training in the use of the roadside breathalyser forms part of the student training programme for all gardaí in Templemore," he adds.
A Garda press office spokesman said last night: "We are satisfied that we have sufficient numbers trained in the use of this equipment. This training continues on a regular basis . . . We are fully committed to doing everything we can to ensure that people desist from driving with alcohol in their system."
In response to the press office, a spokesman for the Garda Representative Association accused Garda management of "shocking complacency". He said the lack of training in the use of both roadside and station-based breathalysers was a serious concern for its members around the country