Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 92: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of positions within An Garda Síochána scheduled to be civilianised; the number of those positions that have been civilianised to date; the number that have been scheduled for civilianisation by the end of 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36323/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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In my reply to a Priority Question from the Deputy on 27 April 2006 I comprehensively set out the position in relation to the process of civilianisation in An Garda Síochána. While I will recap on progress to date, I would like at the outset to state that significant progress is being made on recruitment to a range of new civilian posts, including:

31 posts in the Garda Telecommunications area;

28 staff for the Professional Standards Unit, comprising statisticians, analysts and administrative staff;

10 internal audit posts;

14 additional teaching / training posts in the Garda College in Templemore; and

29 crime analysts.

At the time that the Civilianisation Report was finalised in 2001 there were 818 civilians carrying out clerical or administrative functions in An Garda Síochána. Today that figure is 1,223, a 50% increase in 5 years. The recruitment proposals outlined in the course of this reply will add approximately 140 more to this number. I remain committed to the greatest level of civilianisation consistent with the effective and efficient functioning of An Garda Síochána.

Let me turn now to the 2001 Civilianisation Report under which the Government approved the civilianisation of 496 posts in An Garda Síochána to be filled on a phased basis over a twenty-year period through natural wastage. The programme drawn up provided for: the civilianisation of these posts in the short, medium and long term; the transfer of the finance function from Garda District Officers to civilian staff; and the transfer of civilian staff from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to An Garda Síochána.

Of the 496 posts proposed in 2001 for civilianisation, 296 of these were administrative posts with the balance being specialist posts in areas such as telecommunications, mapping and photography. While 161 posts were identified for civilianisation in the short term, only a further 27 posts were scheduled to be civilianised in the period 2004 to 2006. The remaining posts were scheduled to be civilianised over the period up to 2021, including 121 which were to be civilianised in the final year of the programme. The timescales for implementation reflected an agreement reached at the time with Garda Representative Bodies who I am glad to say have since expressed a wish for a more accelerated programme of civilianisation. I personally regard that extraordinary lead-in time as completely unacceptable.

The initial focus in implementing the programme was on the transfer of the finance function from Garda District Officers to civilian staff and 113 civilian District Finance Officers were accordingly appointed under this process. The Deputy should be aware that the further replacement of members of An Garda Síochána with civilian staff has been stalled for some time by Equal Pay cases taken by members of the Clerical, Public and Services Union. The Equality Tribunal found in favour of claimants in seven of fourteen cases taken and an appeal which I have taken in relation to these cases is currently before the Labour Court. I am, however, pleased to say that other elements of the civilianisation programme are continuing apace and are contributing towards the freeing up of Gardaí for front-line policing.

I would refer in particular to the establishment, at my own instigation, of the Garda Information Service Centre (GISC) in Castlebar, which now has a staffing complement of 162 civilians and is servicing all Garda regions nationally. Whereas previously Gardaí had to return to their Stations following a crime event to enter data on the PULSE system, they now make a call to the GISC, where civilian colleagues input the data for them, allowing officers to remain "on the beat". This major initiative has freed up significant amounts of Garda time for continued operational duty. The Garda authorities are already considering what other tasks could be devolved to the GISC which would release additional Garda resources for front-line policing.

A further key development has been the transfer of civilian staff to the direct control of the Garda Commissioner, as provided for in the Civilianisation Report and in the Garda Síochána Act 2005. This transfer took place on 16 October last. In order to support the transfer of these staff to the Commissioner, a new Human Resources Division for civilian staff in An Garda Síochána has been established, which when fully operational will have a staffing complement of 37 civilians. This Division, which will look after the full range of HR requirements of the 1,900 clerical, administrative, professional, technical and industrial civilians now working with An Garda Síochána, will also play a key role in driving forward the wider civilianisation programme. The Head of the new HR Division has been appointed and a number of staff have now commenced duty, with the remaining staff in the process of being recruited.

The Civilianisation Report envisaged an enhanced administrative career structure in An Garda Síochána but not to the extent that has emerged. The establishment of the GISC has added a significant number of supervisory and management posts to the civilian structure. Furthermore, as part of an agreement reached with staff interests regarding the transfer of civilian staff to the Commissioner, sanction has been granted by the Minister for Finance for an additional 76 civilian clerical and administrative posts to be located around the country on a regional and divisional basis. Recruitment to these posts will be progressed as soon as possible.

Under the Garda Síochána Act, the Commissioner became the Accounting Officer for An Garda Síochána in July of this year. This transfer of responsibility is being supported by the recruitment of nine civilian staff for a new Finance and Procurement Unit within An Garda Síochána. I would also mention that a new civilian Accommodation Manager has been appointed and commenced duty in September last.

The Joint Implementation Group comprising management representatives from An Garda Síochána and my Department is continuing its work on civilianisation. Given that the 2001 Civilianisation Report was written at a particular point in time, the Group is taking account of changes which have occurred in the interim in the environment in which civilianisation is being pursued and looking at ways in which the civilianisation programme can be advanced in the shorter term, both in the context of the Civilianisation Report and otherwise. As the Deputy can see, considerable progress has been made to date and I will continue to drive this civilianisation process forward.

I should mention that I am in receipt of two reports, one from the Hayes Advisory Group, chaired by Senator Maurice Hayes, the other from the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, both of which make a number of recommendations in relation to the civilianisation of senior corporate management positions in An Garda Síochána. I will be announcing further details of these reports later today and they will also be laid before both Houses within the hour, for the benefit of Members. I look forward to discussing the proposals contained in the reports with the Garda Commissioner over the coming weeks.