asked the Minister for Justice further to his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 641 of 31 October 1984 if the list of gardaí (details supplied) was approved by the properly constituted board for promotion to specific posts since 1 November 1982; if the names were brought to the attention of the Cabinet; and if they have not yet taken up the posts, the reasons.
Written Answers. - Garda Promotions.
803.
Limerick East): The list referred to in the question is a list comprising one named Superintendent and a number of named Inspectors of the Garda Síochána and accordingly “promotion” must refer to promotion to — in one case — the rank of chief superintendent and — in the other case — the rank of superintendent. Appointments to the ranks of chief superintendent and superintendent are made by the Government but the Government do not assign those officers to specific posts.
I would not consider it appropriate, at any rate in the absence of some stated and substantial reason, to say whether the names of particular members of the force identified by the Deputy were or were not submitted to the former Government with a recommendation that they be appointed to the rank of chief superintendent or superintendent. There is no question of any person appointed to either of those ranks by the former Government still awaiting assignment in his new rank.
The position in regard to appointments to the rank of superintendent and chief superintendent since 14 December 1982, the date on which this Government took office, is as follows.
The first appointments to those ranks were made by the Government on 8 March 1983, on the basis of recommendations made by the commissioner following examination by a board consisting of the commissioner, deputy commissioner and all six assistant commissioners of each applicant's record and "history" in the force and of assessments and recommendations made by local divisional officers in relation to each candidate.
That method of selection was — and was intended to be — an interim one to be effective only until a new system would come into operation. The new system came into operation later that year, before any further appointments needed to be made. All subsequent appointments to those ranks have been made under that system which involves the holding of competitive interviews in accordance with new procedures governing promotions in the force agreed at the Garda Conciliation Council in October 1983. It is part of those procedures that all members of the force who compete in the promotion competition are officially notified of the result (the notification includes, in the case of those who are placed sufficiently highly to warrant this, the candidate's place in the "order of merit"). The names of the successful candidates are placed on a panel which remains valid for a certain fixed period and promotions are made from the panel, in the order in which they were placed, according as vacancies arise during the period for which the panel operates. One of the members named in the Deputy's list was succesful in a competition held earlier this year, was notified accordingly and has recently been promoted in line with his place on the panel.