John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 379: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, further to the most recent Garda recruitment drive, the number of applications which were received; the number of applicants who were deemed to be successful and will subsequently be called for interview; when interviews will be held; and the number of recruits who will be taken into training as a result of this most recent recruitment drive based on the recent aptitude test. [8031/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Public Appointments Service administers a recruitment competition on behalf of the Garda Síochána which was launched on 25 November 2004. The service, which is independent in the exercise of its functions, will have details of the number of applicants who were deemed successful and will subsequently be called for interviews and when the interviews will be held. More than 10,600 applications were received for the current competition. This high level of applications was aided by the increase in the maximum recruitment age from 26 to 35, as approved by the Government in November 2004 on foot of a recommendation by the commissioner.

For the period 2005-2007, approximately 275 recruits will be taken into the college every quarter. The intake of this first tranche of 275 students to the Garda College took place on the week commencing Monday, 7 February 2005 and arrangements are in place for the current recruitment competition to be progressed to provide for the second intake of 275 students on 3 May this year. It is estimated that 526 Garda trainees will become attested members of the force in 2005.

The commissioner will draw up plans on how best to distribute and manage the additional Garda resources that will come on stream. The additional resources will be targeted at the areas of greatest need, as is envisaged in the programme for Government which identifies in particular areas with a significant drugs problem and many public order offences but it will be possible to address other priorities as well, such as the need to increase very significantly the number of gardaí allocated to traffic duties as part of the new Garda traffic corps. I have already promised that the additional gardaí will not be put on administrative duties. They will be put directly into frontline, operational, high-visibility policing. They will have a real impact.