Mr. Drew Harris:

They are known as Garda staff because they are integral to the delivery of the policing service that An Garda Síochána provides. It is as simple as that. I hope it illustrates that I recognise how central their role is. We are on a path of growth towards 4,000 Garda staff. They will be essential to the service that we provide. There is no question of there being two-tier membership or employment in the organisation. I changed the name of the Garda staff in the second week to make it clear. The expression had hitherto been "civilians" and I could not get my head around it because they are integral to what we do. Their importance will grow. We have been given a figure of 4,000 but I could see it going beyond 4,000 in the years ahead.