asked the Minister for Justice the number of Garda recruits who can be accommodated simultaneously in the Garda Training Centre, Templemore, County Tipperary.
6.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Garda Recruits.
5.
asked the Minister for Justice the number of Garda recruits who are at present in training in the Garda Training Centre, Templemore, County Tipperary.
7.
asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí who completed their training in the Garda Training Centre, Templemore, County Tipperary, in each training period since January, 1976.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 5, 6 and 7 together. The training course for Garda recruits in Templemore is in two parts. The first part covers a period of 22 weeks after which the recruit is assigned to a station. After an interval he is recalled to the training centre for a further period of three weeks.
About 200 recruits on part I of the course can be accommodated at the centre without interrupting the programme of courses provided there for other members of the force. If needs be, however, the courses for other members can be temporarily postponed to permit accelerated recruitment and, in fact, that is what is proposed in respect of the next intake.
All successful candidates from the competition held in May, 1974, have now been recruited and the total number of them still in training at the centre is 16. In addition eight gardaí recruited by means of a special competition for technicians are also in training there.
The Civil Service Commissioners expect to be in a position to announce the results of the recent entrance examination before the end of this month and the Commissioner will immediately commence notifying the candidates who have obtained the highest places to attend for interview, medical examination and oral Irish test. It is estimated that about 300 recruits will be taken into training by the end of July, the first intake being about the beginning of that month.
The total number of recruits who completed parts I and II of the training courses held since January, 1976 were 198 and 490 respectively. Particulars of the number who attended each course are given in the attached tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to have circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
NUMBER of Recruit Garda who completed training in each Training Course since 1st January, 1976.
Part I—Training Course
|
Date of completion of course |
Number who completed course |
|
13/2/76 |
53 |
|
19/3/76 |
59 |
|
23/7/76 |
20 |
|
4/2/77 |
66 |
|
— |
|
|
198 |
Part II—Training Course
|
Date of completion of course |
Number who completed course |
|
31/1/76 |
20 |
|
27/2/76 |
19 |
|
26/3/76 |
20 |
|
15/4/76 |
42 |
|
21/5/76 |
46 |
|
18/6/76 |
52 |
|
16/7/76 |
43 |
|
9/9/76 |
43 |
|
7/10/76 |
29 |
|
4/11/76 |
48 |
|
2/12/76 |
23 |
|
24/2/77 |
37 |
|
18/3/77 |
39 |
|
7/4/77 |
23 |
|
29/4/77 |
6 |
|
— |
|
|
490 |
Assuming that the training centre will be able to accommodate 300 people which the Minister indicated would be recruited in July, does that mean that for some considerable time the training centre has been working below capacity? There are only 16 recruits there at the moment?
There are only 16 recruits there at the moment plus eight technician recruits.
Would the Minister acknowledge that the total accommodated in the whole of last year was about 100?
I do not have those figures but it would be more than 100. I reviewed a passing out class a short time ago and, as far as I recall, there were up to 100 in that class alone and there are other courses going on in the training depot. Three hundred people can only be accommodated there by temporarily interrupting other courses.
It is clear from the figures given by the Minister that Templemore garda training centre has been operating way below capacity since the beginning of last year. Does that not indicate that the Government did not meet the real need to provide adequate gardaí for our streets and that the last two years were blatant examples of this Government's irresponsibility in not utilising this base or not providing for the needs which existed in the country?
That is not so. The capacity in Templemore has been used in the normal way up to the beginning of this year. The number of courses this year is unusually low because these recruits are the last few from the last competition. Prior to that entrants from the previous competitions were being called in accordance with the normal practice.
Will the Minister accept that over the last two years there has been a great need for more gardaí on our streets and extra Garda training recruits who were not allowed enter the course? How can the Minister explain this as a matter of policy on the part of this Government?
The Deputy is not taking into account that since this Government took office the total Garda force has been increased substantially —to the highest figure ever in the level of the force. Those extra men had to be trained over the last number of years.
The Minister must know that the number trained in the last two years was less than had been trained in any one year in the four or five years before that.
This is leading to argument.
If the Deputy puts down a question as to the number trained in each year for a number of years past, I will give him that information. He will see that over that period more gardaí were trained because the establishment of the force was substantially increased by roughly 1,000 men.
Could the Minister state if an applicant who has been refused entrance to the examination has any way of finding out why he has been refused?
It is a matter for the Commissioner to determine the suitability of any applicant for admission to the Garda.
Is the Minister satisfied that it is in accordance with strict justice that a person is refused entrance to the examination, not entrance to the Garda, and does not know why he is refused?
That is not strictly related to these questions.