Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 513: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the basic premise that the powers of a member of the Garda reserve force should be reflective of the number of hours training received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5186/06]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 514: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the powers which a member of the Garda reserve force will have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5187/06]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 515: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the period and type of training which a member of the Garda reserve force will have to undergo; his intentions in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5188/06]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 518: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the directions or instructions which he has given to the Commissioner of the Garda Síochána regarding the proposed Garda reserve force, including directions regarding the appropriate level of training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5191/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 513 to 515, inclusive, and 518 together.

Section 15 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 provides for the establishment of a Garda reserve and Deputies will recall that the measure won widespread support in the House during the passage of the Act. The Act lays special emphasis on training for members of the Garda reserve. It provides that the power to appoint persons to the reserve may only be exercised if the Commissioner has submitted proposals to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, for the training of persons to be appointed and regulations have been made concerning their recruitment, training and terms and conditions. The Act also provides that a person may not be appointed to the reserve unless he or she has completed the prescribed training. It is also the case under the Act that the Garda Commissioner may determine the range of powers to be exercised and duties to be performed by reserve members. A reserve member will be bound by all the same legal, disciplinary and ethical obligations as a regular member.

In July 2005, the month the Garda Síochána Act was enacted, the Garda Commissioner wrote to me proposing a Garda reserve with a strength of 4,000 members. By way of response, and in the context of advising the Garda Commissioner of the Government's policing priorities for 2006, I set the objective of recruiting 900 reserve members by September of this year. I have just received the Commissioner's proposals for the Garda reserve and I can advise the Deputy that these proposals specifically address issues relating to the training, powers and duties of reserve members. I understand, also, that in drawing up these proposals the Commissioner has looked to the successful experience of volunteer police in the UK and other jurisdictions. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the detail of the proposals before I have had an opportunity to examine them closely and consult the Commissioner on them, as required. Following examination of the Commissioner's proposals, I will draw up the necessary regulations for the approval of Government under the Act and, as part of that process, consultations will be held with the Garda representative associations.

The Garda reserve will be a supplement to, and emphatically not a replacement, for gardaí. Proof of this is the current increase in the strength of the force from 12,000 to 14,000 members. This programme is well under way and will lead to a combined strength of both attested gardaí and recruits in training of 14,000 by the end of this year. The Garda budget is also at an all time high. This year's allocation of €1.29 billion represents an increase of 13% on the allocation for 2005. It includes provision of more than €83.5 million for overtime, an increase of €23 million on last year's allocation, which will yield more than 2.7 million hours of Garda overtime for frontline policing throughout the State.

The Garda reserve will be a valuable additional support for the Garda Síochána. It will enhance its capacity to respond to emerging policing challenges and reinforce its links with local communities. At a time when gardaí increasingly do not live in the areas they police, the Garda reserve will be a valuable source of local strength and knowledge. The proposal for the reserve has the support of the Oireachtas and, I believe, the public. I have undertaken to consult constructively the Garda representative associations on the proposals and I will ask them, for their part, to undertake to respect the clear will of the Oireachtas in this matter and engage positively in those consultations.