Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

543. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when the application process for the Garda Reserves will be reopened. [42418/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities, and strengthening An Garda Síochána, including the Garda Reserve, is at the core of that. We will continue to provide An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities around Ireland are safe and this is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of over €2.48 billion to An Garda Síochána, a 27% increase since 2020.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda reserve members, under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended).

The Garda Reserve represents a real opportunity for anyone wishing to make a contribution to their community and, in some cases, learn more about the role of a Garda member prior to seeking to join An Garda Síochána full time. Reserves serve a very valuable role in assisting Gardaí with local patrols, crime reduction initiatives and administration.

A competition to recruit Garda reserves opened in June, the first in many years. Garda reserves play a vital role in their communities, and the revised regulations brought forward will allow them to contribute even more effectively. The Garda Reserve competition closed in early July and received over 1,800 applications.

To further support this competition, I was pleased to bring forward new regulations governing recruitment, training and deployment of the Reserve. I believe this also represents a great opportunity to broaden the recruitment pool for An Garda Síochána particularly among communities which have not traditionally joined the service in large numbers.

To help support the work of Reserves, we have increased the maximum stipend a reserve member who completes over 200 hours of voluntary service in a given year from €1,000 to €3,000.

There are currently around 325 Garda reserves, as of the end of June 2024, and we have set a target of 1,000 Reserves by 2026. Government is committed to working with the Garda Commissioner to achieve this goal.

I am advised that an initial group of applicants were invited to interview across August and September. Candidates deemed suitable are now being invited to complete Garda Vetting and it is my understanding as soon as candidates are cleared through the vetting process, they will be invited to a Garda Reserve intake and begin training under the supervision of the Garda College to ensure they can support Garda Members in their duties on the front line.