Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move Amendment No. 19:

In page 55, to delete lines 4 to 14.

The Minister will essentially merge An Garda Síochána with what up to now has been considered to be the civilian members of An Garda Síochána and I have no problem with that whatsoever. I have no problem with the majority of the proposals in the Bill but I have a problem with is that it can be done compulsorily, that the Minister can make an order and "every member of the civilian staff of An Garda Síochána, who is a civil servant of the Government, immediately become the coming in to operation of this section and who is designated by order of the Minister for the purposes of this section shall, on being so designated become a member of garda staff". It is the fact that it is not voluntary.

I completely support what the Minister is doing in setting up this broader Garda staff but as we speak, there are a number of people who are civil servants and they joined the Irish Civil Service and that brings with it considerable disadvantages, arguably around pay, and on the right to run for election. Those disadvantages are not going to be resolved by joining An Garda Síochána. What they do have is their mobility within the Civil Service. They are civil servants and, for example, a number of Departments are based in Ennis that they can apply for, as there are in Wexford, Limerick, Kerry, Dublin and all other parts of the country. They can apply and move form one branch of the Civil Service to another. This will essentially take them out of that and will mean that the Minister, by order, can determine where they will be moved. That is unfair. It is a little bit like those who signed up to be water workers for the county council and were to be county council employees but then Irish Water was established and they were to be moved across. The Minister with responsibility for Housing, Local government has said that it is agreed that nobody will have to move. In this instance, it allows the Minister to determine that people have to move and that is my problem. When I raised this issue on Committee Stage, I was told there had been significant consultation with the unions that represent these workers and that there would be further significant consultation with them. Where does that stand now? What consultation has taken place with the trade unions since Committee Stage? What succour can the Minister provide in respect of my concerns about people being involuntarily moved out of the Civil Service in to the civilian staff of An Garda Síochána? To be absolutely clear, I do not have a problem with what the Minister is trying to do, but rather the degree of compulsion that is provided for in the Bill.

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