Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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4. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of trainee Gardaí who are enrolled on the new recruitment campaign since it began on 8 September 2016; and the number enrolled in the special stream of this campaign for eligible reserve members. [30032/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Since the Garda College re-opened in September 2014, 163 members of the Garda Reserve have joined An Garda Síochána as trainee Gardaí. The 2016 recruitment campaign for trainee Gardaí included for the first time a special stream for eligible reserve members as a means of giving due recognition to satisfactory service by such members. This has worked well and so far 39 members of the Reserve have entered the Garda College via that special stream and more will enter over the remainder of this year and into next year. The concept of a special Reserve stream has been continued in the new recruitment campaign which I announced on 8 September for which the closing date for applications was 29 September.

The Deputy will appreciate that it is the Public Appointments Service (PAS) which conducts the recruitment process for trainee Gardaí on behalf of the Garda Commissioner. I am informed that provisional figures indicate that there are 5,110 applicants for the general stream of whom 129 are also applicants for the special Reserve stream.