Mr. Drew Harris:

I accept that the organisational initiative to set aside 10% has not worked. That is why we wish to revisit our approach, as I have said. We will do that. We also have to look to the skills that lie within the organisation. I thank the Senator for her suggestions as to how we might do that. We will take those forward.

As to the way in which a member of the community would know whether a member of An Garda Síochána is competent in Irish, the fáinne is the only emblem outside of our uniform emblems that a member of An Garda Síochána may wear. We allow both the silver fáinne and the gold fáinne and we are having specific badges designed to show that members are in the process of learning Irish. These are the only emblems allowed outside of the normal uniform commitment.

There are possibilities for us overall with regard to recruitment. It is not only about members, but also staff. I take the point that was made in respect of members of Garda staff who are working on our front desks and answering our phones and their competency in the language. That is obviously another important point. Again, there is a technological answer to this issue. Although a phone call may at the moment be transferred to Tralee, it could be transferred further to a specific Irish language speaker who could then deal with the individual and input into our systems appropriately. I would suggest there is a technical fix to that issue. We need to be innovative in responding to that.

In comparison to the situation in respect of how we test people now to that in 2011 or even in the 2000s, the test we now apply, this level 4, undoubtedly represents a more stringent standard. This level indicates a far more fluent and competent speaker of Irish, one who can engage in everyday business and professional policing business in an entirely acceptable manner with regard to the service we provide. I may ask Mr. Mulligan or Assistant Commissioner McMahon to comment on the training provided to students in Templemore.