Mr. P. J. Stone:

The Deputy raised an interesting point. The matter has been approached badly in terms of the Garda Síochána in the sense that one will create major difficulties when one brings in new recruits. Whatever about keeping them on a pay level for a certain period, if one does not bring them into the fold, one will create major difficulties and relativities because in respect of the new pay arrangements, people will be choking each other to get promoted because, once they are promoted they go onto the scale of serving sergeants or inspectors. This has been very badly thought out. One could, perhaps, understand brand new scales being introduced to start on a particular day in order that people would know what they were buying into, right up to the rank of Commissioner, but the way the system has been approached is mistaken. The big problem is that there was a lack of understanding about the fact that in some other sections of the public sector, people move onto different grades and therefore the pay scales take care of themselves. In respect of the Garda Síochána, the young men and women who should be recruited immediately to provide a policing service must be treated with fairness and equity. If that is allowed to proceed, while people might break down the door to get recruited, they will not be long in the Garda Síochána when there will be levels of dissatisfaction that will be difficult to contain. Now is the time to get it right before another forum such as this has to return in ten or 15 years time to address a major problem.