Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I share the view expressed by the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and take seriously the comments he made concerning the commencement of business.

As Deputy O'Callaghan will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner has statutory responsibility for carrying on, managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, including training. As Minister, I do not have a direct role in the matter. It is important to note, however, that members of An Garda Síochána undertake a wide variety of roles that require different sets of skills from time to time and different types of training, including, for example, in respect of child protection, crime scene examination and cybercrime. It is not necessary for every member of An Garda Síochána to have specialist knowledge of every area of policing. The system does not work in that way. In the case of advanced driving skills, not all members are required to drive on a daily basis or to have the capacity to respond to emergency response calls in a high-speed vehicle.

Responsibility for training lies with the Garda College and the divisional continuing professional development schools under the overall responsibility of the executive director for human resources and people development. I am informed by the Garda authorities that following a review of its driver training programmes in 2009, An Garda Síochána introduced a five level suite of competency based driving, CBD, courses, with each level specifically catering for the required knowledge base, skill set and operational requirements of members undergoing the relevant training. The review was informed by the Garda Inspectorate’s report into roads policing. I understand that CBD level 2 is a three-week course which enabling those members who successfully complete the course to drive the majority of patrol cars and public order vans available to the Garda. I am advised by the Garda Commissioner that since 2009, in the region of 2,700 members have successfully completed this level of training course. This figure does not include those who completed driver training prior to the introduction of the new competency based driving programme.

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