Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 132: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí who have taken early retirement in County Mayo for each of the past five years. [15836/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The position on Garda retirements is that members of the force who joined before April 2004 can retire on full pension after 30 years service, provided they are aged 50 or over. Members at the rank of garda, sergeant and inspector must retire by the age of 57, while members at superintendent rank and higher can remain in the force up to the age of 60. Members who joined after April 2004, following the enactment of the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004, may not retire on full pension until aged 55 and must retire by age 60.

I have been informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the number of gardaí in the Mayo division who retired from the force before reaching the maximum age for each of the past five years, and from 1 January 2006 to 26 April 2006, inclusively, is as set out in the following table.