Mr. Drew Harris:

In respect of retention and recruitment, there is significant focus on this area. We have a working group on which all the associations are represented. We are conducting exit interviews and learning from the various issues individuals raise as they exit the organisation. I will point to recent initiatives in respect of recruitment. We had hoped to see the new regulations for a change to the entry age. The entry age is to be lifted to 50 years. An increase in student pay has been implemented and backdated to the budget. That is very welcome. We hope to see the extension of the compulsory retirement age to 62 years. Many members want to serve beyond the current compulsory retirement age of 60 years.

As regards the Senator's points on cross-Border co-operation, anybody who followed me did so against a competition and got a position on merit through the Policing Authority and PAS competition. That is good to see. Senator McDowell will remember the joint policing agreement on this island and police-to-police co-operation which included the exchange of personnel. Obviously, that is something in which we will always be very interested. There are ongoing secondments and so on, but they are for quite a short timescale. It is an area we wish to open up further into the future. The PSNI has its own issues relating to staff numbers. It is not credible to, in effect, ask for a movement of PSNI officers to An Garda Síochána at this time. We also have the joint agency task force. Again, the Senator will remember the origin of that. It still works in the context of cross-Border operations at community level but also at crime level.