Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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127. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on the progress of section 50 regulations required to open up and facilitate the transfer of a PSNI officer to the ranks of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12512/25]

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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We have seen an exceptional Garda recruitment campaign recently in February. I commend the Minister and An Garda Síochána on this. However, there are ready-made police officers and there is a barrier to them becoming gardaí. Can the Minister provide an update on the progress of section 50 regulations required to open up and facilitate the transfer of a PSNI officer to the ranks of An Garda Síochána and will he make a statement on the matter?

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, which was enacted by the Houses of the Oireachtas last year, is yet to be commenced. I intend to commence it shortly. The new Act continues to honour Ireland’s commitments under the existing 2002 agreement between the Irish and British Governments on police co-operation. When the Act is commenced, section 94 will allow the Garda Commissioner, at the request of the Chief Constable of the PSNI, to appoint a member of the PSNI as a member of An Garda Síochána on secondment for a period of not more than three years.

My Department is preparing regulations to facilitate, in line with the 2002 agreement, serving PSNI members who have served at or above the rank of inspector for a minimum period of two years to be eligible to enter competitions for appointment to the rank of superintendent in Garda Síochána. These regulations will also provide that serving PSNI members who have served at the rank of superintendent or above for a minimum period of two years will be able to enter competitions for appointment to the rank of chief superintendent or assistant Garda commissioner in the Garda Síochána.

The Deputy raised specifically section 50 of the Act. In order that other Members will be aware, section 50 provides for the continuation of certain powers of the Commissioner to appoint persons to ranks below superintendent as currently set out in section 14 of the 2005 Garda Síochána Act. Section 50 will ensure the Commissioner can continue to exercise these functions, while also ensuring the continuation of service of any person appointed under the current provisions.

There is currently no provision for the direct transfer or promotion on a permanent basis of serving PSNI officers at the rank of sergeant or below into An Garda Síochána. This position will, in consultation with my United Kingdom and Northern Ireland counterparts, be kept under review. I thank the Deputy for the question.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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While I appreciate that the Minister will be consulting with his counterparts in the UK, at a time when we have an acute shortage of gardaí and require additional officers, there are members of the PSNI who wish to become gardaí. They are living in the Republic and commuting to the North. They are ready-made police officers ready to act.

There are many such members. One in particular who I am aware of has been writing to and speaking with the PSNI, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and the Policing Authority for over ten years seeking a pathway of transfer from the PSNI to An Garda Síochána. We have an invisible border on this island. This is a situation where consultation further down the line is not sufficient for existing members of the PSNI who wish to become members of An Garda Síochána.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy makes a valid point. We are at a stage where we are trying to recruit as many members into An Garda Síochána as we can. The Deputy has indicated that there are serving PSNI officers living in this jurisdiction who would like to become members of An Garda Síochána. At present, their difficulty is that in order to become a member of An Garda Síochána through the standard route, they would have to go to Templemore. That would involve them having to give up their jobs in the PSNI, which would be extremely difficult. I appreciate the significance and import of what the Deputy is saying.

Section 50 states that the Garda Commissioner may appoint, in accordance with such matters as may be contained in regulations in relation to such appointments, persons to any rank below the rank of chief superintendent. I will consult with the senior management in An Garda Síochána. I would like to know if there are many members of the PSNI living in this jurisdiction who would like to transfer over. Obviously, there would have to be certain requirements in order for them to do so. I would have thought that if those requirements can be met, it would be a useful method of trying to increase numbers on the force. I will consult with the Commissioner and my Department in respect of the matter.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. I appreciate him looking into this matter in more detail. I will work with him outside the House in respect of the case to which I refer.

The number involved is not huge. To my knowledge, it is in the teens. These are people who are working in the PSNI. They have spent a lifetime in policing and have a considerable amount of experience that could contribute a great deal to both community and specialised policing in this jurisdiction.

I will work with the Minister on the particular case to which I refer. I would appreciate it if he would bring it to the attention of the Garda Commissioner. I would also appreciate it if we could look at a more formalised pathway in the future to allow members of the PSNI transfer to An Garda Síochána and to allow members of An Garda Síochána to move to the PSNI, where appropriate, as well.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Another relevant point is that there is nothing stopping people in the North who are not in the PSNI from applying to become members of An Garda Síochána. I suspect the terms and conditions of An Garda Síochána are more favourable than those relating to people who join the PSNI. That is something we need to focus on. People from the North are welcome to apply to seek to join An Garda Síochána.

I will go back to the Commissioner and I will also discuss the matter with officials in my Department. I would be interested to know, because it is not a statistic we have, how many PSNI officers are living in the South who would be interested in joining An Garda Síochána. The Deputy indicated that one he knows has been writing to various entities. I would have thought individuals should write to express an ambition or desire to join An Garda Síochána. I would think that would prompt a response from Garda management.