Written answers

Wednesday, 28 September 2005

Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform

Garda Recruitment

9:00 pm

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 992: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans for the recruitment of persons to the Garda Síochána drawn from various ethnic groups and representative of minorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25231/05]

Photo of Michael McDowellMichael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Following the Government decision to approve my proposal to increase the strength of the Garda Síochána to 14,000, I asked the Garda Commissioner to review the eligibility criteria for entry to the force. I initially increased the maximum age of applicants from 26 to 35 in time for the recruitment competition in November 2004. That change has had a significant effect, with a significant percentage of recent recruits coming within the extended age range.

In advance of advertising the next Garda recruitment campaign, which will be launched on Thursday next, 29 September, I was keen to make any reasonable changes to the entry criteria that would facilitate recruitment from different ethnic backgrounds in our society. I am of the belief that future intakes of recruits to the Garda Síochána should as far as possible reflect the composition of Irish society and this is an opportune time to ensure the criteria for entry meet the evolving needs of the Garda Síochána and the society it serves.

For this reason I asked the Commissioner to examine whether any of the eligibility criteria militated, however indirectly, against the recruitment of members from ethnic communities. The main issue that arose in this context was the requirement to hold an academic qualification in Irish — a matter which is of particular relevance not only to those from different ethnic backgrounds but to all those who did not receive their schooling within the Irish educational system.

Following receipt of the Commissioner's review and following consultations with my colleagues in Government, in particular the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, and with the Attorney General and the Garda representative associations, I brought proposals to Government and obtained its approval for the introduction of significant changes to the rules governing entry to the Garda Síochána.

In the above regard, the requirement to hold a qualification in both Irish and English in the leaving certificate or equivalent has been replaced with a requirement to hold a qualification in two languages, at least one of which must be Irish or English.

A new nationality or residency requirement has also been introduced. While there was previously no such requirement, the requirement to have a qualification in Irish had effectively limited entry to the Garda Síochána to Irish citizens. The new provision significantly changes this. Entry to the Garda Síochána is now open to nationals of an EU member state, an EEA state or the Swiss Confederation, and nationals of any other state who are lawfully present in Ireland and have five years' lawful residence here.

In addition to the above, there is a technical requirement on nationals from outside the EEA or Switzerland, before entry to the Garda college, to secure the permission of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to be in employment in the State without an employment permit.

It is intended that recruits who do not have a qualification in Irish will undertake basic training in the language in the Garda college as part of their training, and the details of that language training will be finalised shortly in consultation with the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív.

These new changes will open up entry to the Garda Síochána to persons in Ireland from all parts of the community and from all ethnic backgrounds. This is a significant step which will help ensure future intakes of recruits to the Garda reflect the composition of Irish society, to the benefit of the force and the people it serves.

The Commissioner has already commenced work on the new recruitment campaign, in conjunction with my Department, the Public Appointments Service and the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, as part of the process of increasing the strength of the force to 14,000. This involves an awareness campaign with media publicity and further consultations with representatives of the ethnic minority communities.

This initiative clearly shows the commitment of the Government and the Garda Síochána to effective policing in a more diverse society. As part of this plan, approximately 275 recruits will be taken into the Garda college in every quarter this year and the following two years, amounting to approximately 1,100 recruits each year. This will — taking into account projected retirements — lead to a combined organisational strength, of both attested gardaí and recruits in training, of 14,000 as early as 2006.

Finally, while the absolute requirement for Garda trainees to hold an academic qualification in Irish is now removed, I make clear that Irish will continue to have an important place in the Garda Síochána. All Garda recruits will be required to achieve an appropriate standard in Irish before becoming full members of the force, and basic training in Irish will be given to recruits who have no qualification in the language. Everyone who wishes to must be able to communicate with the force through our native language. The Garda Síochána has a strong commitment to delivering a service through Irish. Proficiency in Irish is strongly promoted within the force and that will continue to be the case.

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