Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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400. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality since the lateral entry regulations have been in place the action he has taken to ensure gardaí can transfer into the PSNI and vice versa. [44354/13]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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401. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the action he has taken to promote transfers between the Garda and PSNI. [44355/13]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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402. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaI that have transferred to the PSNI; and the number of PSNI officers that have transferred to the Garda. [44356/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions NOs. 400 to 402, inclusive, together.

The Inter-Governmental Agreement on Police co-operation obliged both Governments to introduce the necessary administrative and legislative measures to provide for exchanges, secondments and appointments between the Garda Síochana and the PSNI. Protocols are in place between the Garda Commissioner and the Chief Constable of the PSNI which provide for the implementation of a programme of Personnel Exchanges and Secondments between the two forces. To date eighty nine members of An Garda Síochána and seventy six members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland have taken part in exchange programmes between the forces and one Garda Superintendent has been on secondment with the PSNI.

The Garda Síochána Act 2005 (Police Service of Northern Ireland Appointments) Regulations 2012 and the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (Section 52) Regulations 2012, allow for appointment of members of the PSNI to An Garda Síochána at the ranks of Superintendent, Chief Superintendent and Assistant Commissioner. I understand from the Minister for Justice in Northern Ireland that suitably qualified members of the Garda Síochána may apply for similar positions within the PSNI.

The regulations referred to above specifically provide that the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland be notified of the holding of promotion competitions for the relevant ranks in An Garda Síochána. Expressions of interest from members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland were received for a promotion competition in 2012 and subsequently two briefing sessions were held at the Garda College Templemore, in September 2012. The appointments from this competition have been made and on this occasion did not include any members of the PSNI. The same notifications will be put in place when future promotion competitions are being held in the Garda Síochána. These formal arrangements are but one element of the ongoing very close co-operation that exists between the forces on a day to day operational basis across all aspects of policing.