Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There may be a further technical amendment to this section and I would like to flag it now. Amendments Nos. 37 and 38 relate to section 54 of the Bill on the appointment of members of Garda staff. By way of background, the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland recommended that Garda staff be recruited directly into An Garda Síochána and that An Garda Síochána be seen and treated as a single organisation with a single workforce who share a common mission. Section 54(1) allows the Garda Commissioner to recruit Garda staff directly into the organisation. In addition, section 54(5) allows for the designation of existing civilian staff as Garda staff but only on foot of an appropriate industrial relations process.

Commencement of the legislation will have no automatic effect on existing civilian staff. This point has been confirmed on a number of occasions in previous debates on the Bill. I reaffirmed this point on Second Stage in the House in early October. Following that debate, I engaged directly with many Garda civilian staff and their representatives. I remain keenly aware of, and very sensitive to, the concerns raised by existing staff. In addition, there continues to be engagement between me, departmental officials, Garda management and the relevant trade unions. This engagement will continue as part of planning for the implementation of the Bill.

Senators may wish to note that a commitment was already made on my behalf by the Department that no order would be made under section 54(5) of the Bill designating existing staff as Garda staff until at least 1 January 2025. I am bringing forward an amendment to section 54, which I hope will provide further reassurance to existing Garda staff. The amendment will ensure that an order under section 54(5) that would have the effect of designating existing staff as Garda staff may not be made until at least 24 months after the commencement of the section. I am taking this initiative as a gesture of goodwill to existing Garda staff. This provides a suitable and manageable period for the staff engagement already under way in this area. It must also take on board the terms and conditions that will apply to new civilian staff recruited after the commencement of the Bill who will automatically be designated as Garda staff.