Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The reason this is different from other situations where panels are put together each year is that we are now in a transitional period. We know that the Policing Authority will take over responsibility for promotions to the senior ranks in An Garda Síochána. We welcome that event when it happens. However, it has not happened as of yet. Consequently, responsibility for it still rests with the Minister. The reason there is an unfairness with respect to these individuals is that 18 of them were on the panel and as of today 13 of them have been promoted. The remaining five will be left hanging there. They will be told, if they are appointed prior to 31 December, that they can apply again under the process when the Policing Authority rules come in. We still have not had the commencement of section 12 and we do not know when that will occur. If these individuals apply again to the Policing Authority for promotion, as I hope they do, and if they do not get it, that would be unfortunate, but it must be said that there would be a question mark left hanging over them in that they were to have been promoted under the old system but the new system says they are not sufficiently good. That is unfair to them.

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