Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 292: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons who are currently in Templemore training to be gardaí; and the stages of training they are at. [29672/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that 825 trainees have been admitted to the Garda College to begin training to date in 2005. A further 275 trainees are due to begin training at the Garda College in November. The number of trainees at the Garda College, Templemore as at 18 October 2005 was as set out hereunder:

There have been three intakes of Garda recruits so far this year. The first two intakes, of approximately 550 recruits in total, are now at phase II of their training. This means that a total of approximately 992 recruits are in training at present. The current student-probationer education, training and development programme consists of five separate but integrated phases. Phase I, 20 weeks, phase III, 16 weeks, and phase V, four weeks, are conducted at the Garda College with the exception of the final four weeks of phase III which are delivered at operational training stations. Phase II, 22 weeks, and phase IV, 38 weeks, are conducted at designated operational training stations. Garda trainees are attested to the force on successful completion of phase III of their training. On attestation, Garda trainees become serving members of the force. Formal graduation takes place following the completion of the fifth and final phase of training.

The accelerated recruitment campaign of 1,100 Garda recruits each year to reach a force strength of 14,000, in line with the commitment in the An Agreed Programme for Government, is fully on target. This will lead to a combined strength, of both attested gardaí and recruits in training, of 14,000 by the end of 2006.