Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 8: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of garda reservists appointed to date; his views on the functioning of the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46273/09]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 60: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of members of the Garda Reserve recruited to date; the stations to which they have been allocated; the number of applicants for the reserve currently in training; if he is satisfied with the rate of recruitment; when he expects that the full complement of 1,500 will be in place; if restrictions have been placed on recruitment to the reserve arising from budgetary restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46186/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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At 30 November 2009, there were 484 attested reserve gardaí and there are currently 171 reserve trainees. Details of the stations to which the reserve members were assigned are set out in the following table. The agreed programme for Government has set a target strength for the reserve at 10% of the full-time strength of the force. As the Garda Reserve depends on volunteers who undertake their training and other duties during their free time, it is difficult to predict how many people will commence training in any particular period. However, I assure the House that the Garda Commissioner is continuing to make every effort to reach the recruitment target. In that context, I point out that the moratorium on recruitment and appointments in the public service does not apply to the Garda Reserve, as members are volunteers and do not draw a salary.

Recruitment is ongoing and the Public Appointments Service, PAS, has received more than 1,700 expressions of interest to join the reserve in 2009. The PAS hold interviews on a rolling basis at a range of locations around the country. The ongoing public information campaign to recruit members to the Garda Reserve includes indoor and outdoor awareness raising campaigns and radio promotional interviews, nationally and locally.

The Government is strongly committed to development of the reserve. It has been a singularly successful initiative and I am confident that it will continue to flourish into the future.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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In light of a previous question with reference to the numbers of community gardaí, I can understand why the Minister is most reluctant to engage in target setting. The targets set for the Garda Reserve are wholly out of line with the targets. The promises set by the Minister, Deputy McDowell, have certainly not been fulfilled and I do not detect any activity or enthusiasm on the part of the current Minister to have those targets effected.

Has it been brought to the Minister's attention that, for those Garda reservists who are engaging to very good effect in their community duties in assisting the Garda Síochána, there is a difficulty in regard to medical cover? An injury may be suffered in the course of one's duty but there does not appear to be the same arrangement for a member of the Garda Reserve as for a full member of the Garda Síochána, which is causing some difficulty. If it can be resolved, I urge the Minister to have it resolved.

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am not aware of any difficulties in that respect. If the Deputy has particular information, he might bring it to my attention.

As they are members of the Garda Síochána, albeit reserves, I expect that all the normal back-up available to a normal garda would be available to the reserves. As always with an initiative, it will take some time. To be fair, while there originally had been some reluctance on the part of the main force to accept the reserve, it is now well embedded. When I go about my business, I always ask how they are doing and, to be fair, while there were suggestions that there was a reluctance to assist, that is not the case, they have integrated. It is a great initiative and one I want to support. While targets have been set, they will be met eventually and it will be for the betterment of the community that there are those who are prepared to work for virtually nothing in defence of their areas. We should compliment them on that.

It should be also publicly stated that there is a large number of non-Irish participating. I was in Templemore for the coming out of more than 100 Garda reserves and many of them were non-nationals, something I welcome.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Is there a formal protocol between the Garda Commissioner and the Garda representative organisation in respect of reservists or is their recruitment, functioning and integration done on the basis of tolerance?

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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It is not done on the basis of tolerance. Under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, section 15(5) states that the range of powers and duties of the Garda reserve is a matter for the Commissioner of the Garda Síochána to determine. He has initially determined that the duties of the reserve members shall include station duty, other than care and custody of prisoners, communications room duty, including the monitoring of CCTV, foot patrol accompanied by a full member of the Garda Síochána, static security duty, Garda traffic checkpoint duties, accompanied by a full-time garda and duties at major events such as festivals and major sporting events.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The Minister misunderstood me. I know what the functions are, I asked if there is a formal protocol between the GRA and the commissioner about the functioning and integration of the reservists.

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I do not know. If there is, it is a matter for the Garda Commissioner, not for me.