Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 61: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of members of the Garda Reserve recruited to date; the stations to which they have been allocated; the number of applicants from the Reserve currently in training; if he is satisfied with the rate of recruitment; when he expects that the full complement of 1,500 will be in place; if restrictions have been placed on recruitment to the Reserve arising from the budgetary restrictions; his views on the suggestion made by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors that the Reserve should be scrapped. [21488/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

At 30 April 2009, there were 322 attested Reserve Gardaí and 198 Reserve trainees. Details of the stations to which the Reserve members were assigned are set out in the table below.

The Agreed Programme for Government has set a target strength for the Reserve at 10% of the full-time strength of the force. As the Garda Reserve depends on volunteers who undertake their training and other duties during their free time, it is difficult to predict how many people will commence training in any particular period. However, I can assure the Deputy that the Garda Commissioner is continuing to make every effort to reach the recruitment target. In that context, I would point out that the moratorium on recruitment and appointments in the public service does not apply to the Garda Reserve, as members are volunteers and do not draw a salary.

Recruitment is ongoing and the Public Appointments Service has received over 1,400 expressions of interest to join the Reserve in 2009. The PAS hold interviews on a rolling basis at a range of locations around the country. The ongoing public information campaign to recruit members to the Garda Reserve includes indoor and outdoor awareness raising campaigns and radio and TV promotional interviews nationally and locally.

The Government is strongly committed to the development of the Reserve. I am fully satisfied that the Reserve provides a valuable contribution to the Garda Síochána and to the many communities where it is operating. In particular, I would like to express my appreciation to the members of the Reserve who serve on a voluntary basis and give of their time very generously.