Mr. Ronan Slevin:

Regarding the optimum number, our 17,000 is based on a comparison with our nearest neighbour, which is Scotland, which would reflect our population and demographics in terms of size. Scotland’s police force was more than 17,000 and now it is just under 17,000. The programme for Government in, I think, 2021 predicted we should have 15,000 gardaí by 2021. In the meantime, the population has seen an enormous growth of more than 500,000 people. Even the Commissioner himself in recent years has mentioned his view is 16,000 would now be required for policing. However, we believe that is not even sufficient under the current terms.

On how to fix recruitment, we released a six-point plan related to that. Without doubt, we have to attract members, or potential recruits, be it straight from college or secondary school, or from other forms of employment. The trainee allowance as it stands is completely insufficient. It is about 65% of the minimum wage. It is payable to people for eight months. Within those eight months, there are ten weeks in which a trainee has to go to an external station for deployment for training, where they do not get the accommodation and food they do in the Garda College. They get nothing extra for the expenses incurred and they also may have to incur further travel expenses on top of that.

If we are trying to encourage somebody from employment, where they could be on earnings of €30,000 or €40,000 a year, to a new career in An Garda Síochána, paying them 65% of the minimum wage is not the way to go. Moreover, we have 19 points on our pay scale at the moment. It takes so long for new recruits to come up through the pay chain and get to a point on the scale where we can afford to reside where the majority of members are stationed, which is in major urban areas. We believe that if the Government does not address that as a matter of urgency, we will not see a major change in the number of members applying for the job.

The number of points on the scale has to be reduced. Long-service increments have to be introduced to encourage people to stay in the job longer, if possible. The pensions for members who joined after 2013 are completely inadequate. Any retiring member who joined since 2013 will be lucky to get a pension of €10,000 from the age of 60 until they reach 66, when they are entitled to the old age pension. That is completely inadequate and it has to be addressed. Saying funding has been provided for 1,000 gardaí every year for the next five years is pointless unless we have a plan to address it. We have been absent a plan from the Government for so long. We need it to take it seriously.