David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. As a former Minister of State at the Department of Justice, I can see where this is coming from. I agree with everything the Minister of State has said. The only thing that is missing is a date for starting the recruitment, which the Minister of State has not addressed although it was the main point I made.

One issue I recognise in the Minister of State's response is the pathway to full membership. The reserve strategy acknowledges this when it states that the Garda Reserve provides an opportunity to experience a career in policing and may encourage some individuals to pursue a full-time career as a member of An Garda Síochána. The internal review found that while reserve gardaí have access to a specific stream during recruitment campaigns, the benefits to the individual and the organisation are limited. It goes on to state that the strategy proposes to examine the opportunity to develop the recruitment stream for reserve gardaí, taking account of their operational experience. Therefore, there is a way to achieve this.

For 23 years, I was a member of the Army Reserve, the FCA. We often lost the best and the brightest to the Permanent Defence Force, although I do not know how they missed me. They got a taste of Army life, they liked it and they joined up. The same can happen here with the Garda Reserve, which can be a pathway to full membership. We know there are challenges at the moment to Garda recruitment and that is another reason I would put forward as to why we should begin this as soon as possible. It would help with enlistment into the Garda.

I was previously told that we cannot have both at the same time but, with respect, I do not agree as that is to talk about two different groups of people. If we get people into the Garda Reserve, they will not all want to join the full-time police force, but a certain number of them, younger people in particular, may join up, get a taste of it and make a career choice based on that. If they make that career choice to join the full-time gardaí, the chances are they will stay there and make a full-time career of it.

I rest my case. I hope the Minister, the Garda Commissioner and the Department can work together and move on this early in the new year.

See this speech in context