Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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29. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he has had discussions with the Garda Inspectorate regarding retirement figures in An Garda Síochána; if he has assessed the possible need for a foreign recruitment drive particularly in the area of white collar crime; his plans to have discussions with the new Garda Commissioner with regard to these retirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29598/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Retirement of members of An Garda Síochána is governed by statutory provisions which set the mandatory retirement age for all members at 60 years of age.  Members of An Garda Síochána who joined the organisation prior to 1 April 2004 may retire on full pension once they have served for at least 30 years and they have reached 50 years of age.  Members of An Garda Síochána who joined the organisation on or after 1 April 2004 may retire on full pension once they have served at least 30 years and have reached 55 years of age. A member has the option of continuing to serve until they reach 60 years of age subject to the Garda Commissioner being satisfied that the member is fully competent and available to undertake, and fully capable of undertaking, the duties of his or her position as a member of the Garda Síochána.

It is expected that there will be in the region of 300 departures each year in the next three years taking account of both voluntary and compulsory retirements. I can assure the Deputy that projected departures from An Garda Síochána are kept under continuous review and the level of recruitment is adjusted as necessary in order to achieve the desired strength.

This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and to deter crime. To achieve this the Government has put in place a plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. We are making real, tangible progress on achieving this goal.

I am pleased that funding is in place to maintain this high level of investment in the Garda workforce to ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track. This year a further 800 new Garda Recruits will enter the Garda College; some 400 of whom have entered already this year. In total, 800 Garda trainees are scheduled to attest during the year, 400 of whom have attested to date.  Further, Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, are on track to reach 14,000 by the end of this year. In addition, a further 500 civilians will also be recruited to fill critical skills gaps across the organisation and to facilitate the redeployment of Gardaí from administrative and technical duties to front-line operational duties. There are plans to strengthen the Garda Reserve with new Reserves expected to commence training in 2018.

This focus on investment in personnel is critical. The moratorium on recruitment introduced in 2010 resulted in a significant reduction in the strength of An Garda Síochána. We are now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Commissioner with the resources to fight all types of Criminal activity including white collar crime.

 I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) (formerly the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation) was established on 1 September 2016. The Bureau has dedicated expert staff, including professional forensic accountants, to address white collar and other fraud and economic crimes, and includes the restructured Garda Cyber Crime Bureau, the Money-laundering Investigation Unit and a new Foreign Bribery and Corruption Unit. I am further informed by the Commissioner that as of 31 May 2018, the latest date for which figures are available there were 68 Garda and 17 Garda civilian staff assigned to the GNECB.  Garda  management continue to review the needs of the Bureau to enable it to fully realise to the aims of the MRP and to ensure that An Garda Síochána maximises it capability to investigate emerging forms of economic crime.

I published the Garda Inspectorate “Review of Entry Routes into An Garda Síochána” last Thursday, which proposes tailored approaches to the creation of new entry routes into the Organisation up to Assistant Commissioner level. The Review is a valuable resource for policy development to support the Garda Síochána to attract the best possible candidates and to broaden and diversify the Garda workforce, so that it reflects the composition of the communities it serves. The Inspectorate proposes in its Review is that a programme be developed to recruit experienced police officers from police services in other jurisdictions. I have sent the Review to the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland to consider in the context of its forthcoming Report which will bring forward to Government proposals on the future of policing including on the appropriate composition and recruitment methods and routes into the Garda Síochána.