Ms Helen Hall:

We carry out the appointment and selection processes for superintendents, chief superintendents and assistant commissioners and are part of the Public Appointment Service's process in respect of deputy commissioners and the Commissioner. At the very senior ranks, women are reasonably well represented but we do have concerns, particularly with regard to the rank of superintendent. You cannot force a decision but, looking at the statistics on our website, we have found that, when women do apply, they perform. That is common to many organisations. Women perform a lot better if they can be encouraged to put applications in. That is the first step. During the last competitions that were run, in 2021, we spoke to An Garda Síochána about encouraging people to put their names forward. However, there is a larger issue with regard to the culture of the organisation that needs a lot of work.