Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister back to the House. On Tuesday I mentioned that the Minister might encounter problems with the GAA if gardaí joined the Police Service of Northern Ireland. However, the GAA held a special congress in 2001 which changed the rule in this regard.

The Minister stated local authorities would have a say through county development boards under chapter 4. That is not the right approach to take. The local authority itself should have a say. If the Garda Commissioner attended a public meeting with local authority members, a worthwhile and useful debate on policing issues could take place. I would welcome that. Most county development board members are not elected and those who are may not be from populated areas in which controversies arise. Using the local authority itself may be the better option and I hope that will be the case.

The Minister has promised 2,000 extra gardaí but we have not seen them yet. Under section 13, the Government can appoint such numbers of persons as it sees fit to the ranks of superintendent and chief superintendent of the Garda Síochána. I am disappointed the Minister is politicising the Garda by providing that positions, other than the Garda Commissioner, will be filled by ministerial appointees. Commissioners and superintendents sit on internal interview boards for promotions to sergeant and so on and such politicisation could filter through the ranks.

The section also provides that "The Garda Commission may appoint, subject to and in accordance with the regulations, such numbers of persons as he or she sees fit to the rank of Garda Sergeant and Inspector." Does that mean he or she will have sole responsibility for deciding the force's strength? According to section 13(2), that appears to be the case. I seek clarification on those few issues.