Mr. Drew Harris:

In 2014 we commenced recruitment again and we had a specific Irish language recruitment stream with 10% set aside. Regrettably, that has been unsuccessful for us. The rationale at the time was that this would create a pool of qualified individuals who could serve in Gaeltachtaí and other areas and provide a service through the medium of the Irish language. There are some other human resource issues around where members can serve. We have a general rule around how close an individual can serve to one's original residence, that of a relative or that of a spouse's relative. These restrictions are there for good reasons, namely reducing the risk of familial influence and maintaining impartiality in policing. Garda members who are recruited through the Irish language stream are initially allocated to larger training stations but they undertake to undergo a period in a Gaeltacht station. Only 55 gardaí have been recruited through the Irish language stream since 2013, 18 of whom are not serving in a division with a Gaeltacht but 13 of those 18 did serve in such a division and then subsequently asked for a transfer. I have insisted that for anyone who comes through that stream or for any individual who expresses a wish to serve in a Gaeltacht area, after they have passed the competency test, which is level 4 and which is a stringent standard, they are available to transfer at the next available opportunity to a Gaeltacht area. That is the situation.

The longer-term solution lies in a number of areas. We will continue with the recruitment stream for gardaí. We also want to encourage the same approach with our Garda staff. More of our Garda staff are becoming front-line workers in their interaction with the public and in Gaeltacht areas we want to encourage those who may be from the local area to provide the policing service and their service in particular through the medium of the Irish language. Beyond that, I would look to the recruitment of the Garda Reserve. We wish to use the Garda Reserve as a means to increase the representation of the whole Garda organisation. One of those areas is in respect of those who can speak Irish. We want to have a recruitment campaign for reserve gardaí and that will focus on the Gaeltacht areas.

To provide a service more nationally, we have procured a contract of service for Irish language phone interpretation. As is well known, we have issued a mobility device, which is a telephone and it has many apps for policing purposes but it can also be used for interpretation at the side of the road at any location. Beyond that again, we have 80 members of the organisation whose names are on the portal and who are confident that should an Irish language speaker be required anywhere in the country, they can either respond or be available on the phone. We have an Irish language proficiency panel, which has on it those members who are proficient at level 4. That has been extended to Garda staff as well.

When we look to ensuring that gardaí are competent in Irish and deployed to Gaeltacht stations, things have moved on since 2011. One of the most significant areas is the competency test. At the recommendation of an Coimisinéir Teanga, the competency test has become more stringent. It is an EU standard at level 4 and I have details of this. Level 4 means that one is very proficient in both normal and professional conversation. It is true that within the Gaeltacht stations we have people at levels 2 and 3. That is an obvious point where we can seek to increase their skills so that they can move, in a tested process, from level 2 to level 3.

As part of our initial training process, all Garda trainees must meet certain critical goals, one of which is that no matter what stream one joins from, one gets the optimum exposure to policing experiences. That means trainees are placed in the busier towns before being transferred to more rural stations. I have insisted that once that probation and training period is over, they are then transferred to Gaeltacht stations. We have an Irish language proficiency panel. We also have other campaigns ongoing, including an information and awareness campaign, throughout the organisation. We have looked to those divisions where there are Gaeltachtaí and we have a strategy group which includes all of the divisional officers and the chief superintendents from those Gaeltachtaí together with the executive director of human resources. They meet twice a year to give feedback on the provision of services in Gaeltachtaí.

There is quite a bit of detail on staffing but in summary we have 12 stations where 100% of members are fluent; one station where over 50% of members are fluent; and eight stations where fewer than 50% of members are fluent. In those stations, we have individual members who have a fluency of either level 2 or level 3. As I have said, that is an obvious place for us to try to build on that fluency.

I first met an Coimisinéir Teanga in March 2019 during my first six months in the organisation. Correspondence flowed between An Garda Síochána and an Coimisinéir Teanga and in September 2019 he made contact again with my office and I intervened to make sure there was a prompt and expeditious response to his correspondence.

We intend to increase the resources we have put towards this.

We recently appointed an inspector with responsibility for Gaeltacht areas. In the north-western region, the office of Irish language champion has been created in each division. We are going to replicate this nationally. Where we have Irish speakers stationed outside Gaeltacht areas, they are used in innovative ways. We have seven such officers in the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR. These are used for interviews in the media and to operate on social media platforms.

In respect of our deadline or target with regard to deployment to Gaeltacht areas, part of this will depend on recruitment and the supply of Irish speakers to the organisations while another part depends on our success in upskilling individuals. I have set out details of our phone translation service and our internal website which outlines 80 Irish-speaking members who are available. They are on 24-7 duties and are contactable in that regard. I accept that this is an unusual situation. I believe there are things we can remedy as we move forward. The organisation recruits hundreds and hundreds every year between Garda members and Garda staff, so there is still an opportunity for those with Irish skills to join An Garda Síochána. That will be the same in the years to come. We are very committed to meeting our responsibilities, which we take seriously. The steps we have taken show our determination to ensure we are fully compliant with our legislative responsibilities.