Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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242. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí who have transferred to the PSNI; and the number of PSNI officers who have transferred to An Garda Síochána. [50423/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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243. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of members of An Garda Síochána and the PSNI who have taken part in personnel exchanges for each year since 2005; and the time each exchange lasted. [50424/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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244. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the rank of the members of An Garda Síochána and the PSNI who have taken part in personnel exchanges for each year since 2005; and the time each exchange lasted. [50425/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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245. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of members of An Garda Síochána who have been on secondment with the PSNI; and the number of PSNI officers who have been on secondment with An Garda Síochána. [50426/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 242 to 245, inclusive, together.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter.

An Garda Síochána currently does not allow lateral entry from other police services with the exception of reciprocal arrangements for senior appointments with the PSNI. However, the Deputy will be aware that An Garda Síochána Inspectorate’s Review of Entry-Routes into An Garda Síochána, which was published in July 2018, proposes extending the existing reciprocal arrangements with the PSNI to allow access to the Sergeant and Inspector promotion processes in both jurisdictions (An Garda Síochána and the PSNI). The report by the Commission on the Future of Policing endorses this recommendation and the related recommendation that reciprocal arrangements with other police services should also be explored.

I am supportive of extending the existing reciprocal arrangements with the PSNI to allow access to the Sergeant and Inspector promotion processes in both jurisdictions, however there are a number of practical issues which need to be addressed, for example the need for training and the requirement to pass the Sergeants and Inspectors promotional examinations which are largely based on Irish Law. I have asked my officials to consider these issues in consultation with the Commissioner.

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. Section 52 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 gives effect to this obligations.

The Act provides for the secondment from the PSNI to certain ranks in An Garda Síochána for a period not exceeding 3 years. 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 police services.

As regards secondments, I am informed that one member of An Garda Síochána was seconded to the PSNI since 2005 with the same powers and duties as a member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. No members of the PSNI have been seconded to An Garda Síochána.

As regards personnel exchanges, for the Deputy’s information I have set out in the following table the number and Rank of members from An Garda Síochána and of the PSNI that have taken part in personnel exchanges for each year since 2005, and the duration of each exchange, as supplied by the Garda Commissioner.

Number and Rank of members from An Garda Síochána and of the PSNI that have taken part in personnel exchanges for each year since 2005 and the duration of each.