Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1500. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will report on the working group on new Garda staff terms and conditions, and his engagements with stakeholders regarding any potential changes in the terms and conditions of workers within An Garda Síochána arising from the commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18548/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I commenced the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 on 2 April 2025. The Act is largely based on the recommendations made in the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI). CoFPI recommended that Garda staff be recruited directly to An Garda Síochána, rather than the Civil Service.

A central tenet of the CoFPI report was that An Garda Síochána should be seen and treated as a single organisation with a single workforce who share a common mission. It found that more integrated workforce structures were required to leverage the different skills and perspectives of Garda members and Garda staff and thereby to contribute to enhancing the capacity of the organisation to deliver better policing outcomes.

It is for this reason that the Act provides that Garda staff will be recruited and appointed by the Garda Commissioner, rather than as civil servants. Senior members of Garda staff will be appointed by the Commissioner with the approval of Bord an Gharda Síochána.

During the passage of the Act through the Houses, there was an important amendment to the legislation to protect the civil servant status of existing Garda staff for a minimum two-year period after the Act is commenced. Any future proposed change in their status is subject to engagement with their recognised trade unions and staff associations and the consideration of any representations made by them.

The Working Group on New Garda Staff Terms and Conditions was established with an Independent Chair and its membership includes representatives from my Department, from An Garda Síochána and from Forsa and AHCPS. Under Phase 1 of the work of this Group, a new contract and associated policy documents has been agreed for new staff that will be recruited to An Garda Síochána under the 2024 Act as public servants, which is modelled on terms and conditions, similar to those which are applicable to civil servants.

In my recent meeting with the staff representative bodies (Forsa and AHCPS), I updated them on Phase 2 of the work of this Group which will focus on the arrangements for existing staff. That work will begin without delay under the leadership of the independent Chair.