John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 215: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality when recruitment for An Garda Síochána will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8131/11]

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 216: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if persons already on the panel for recruitment for An Garda Síochána will be called when recruitment commences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8132/11]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 217: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality when the embargo on Garda recruitment will be lifted. [8147/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 215 to 217, inclusive, together.

I refer the Deputies to my reply below to Parliamentary Question No. 6084/11 of 30 March 2011. The position remains unchanged since then.

As the moratorium on Public Service Recruitment continues to apply to An Garda Síochána, no date has been fixed for future intakes into the Garda College or for the commencement of a recruitment competition. A decision on when recruitment will re-commence will take into account the rate of retirement in the Garda Síochána and Government targets for reductions in public service numbers.

Candidates who have been successful at stages one and two of the previous recruitment process have had their names forwarded by the Public Appointments service to the Commissioner. These candidates will be eligible, subject to successfully undergoing the medical examination, the physical competency test and character vetting, for any future intakes into the Garda College when recruitment resumes.