Vol. 405 No. 1
81 Mr. McCartan asked the Minister for Justice the role the Government Supplies Agency have in determining the type of material used in Garda uniforms; by whom the testing on the suitability of materials, used in the uniforms, is carried out; and if he can assure Dáil Éireann that full cognisance will be taken of the views of the Garda representative bodies, in respect of their problems with the current uniform.
The Government Supplies Agency provide technical advice on the suitability and specification of Garda uniform materials in the context of their representation on a uniforms committee which is chaired by the Garda authorities and on which the Garda associations are also represented. Testing of uniform materials is a matter for the committee.
The Garda associations were actively involved in the selection of the material used in the current Garda uniform. The points they have raised recently about this material will be examined by the uniforms committee and full cognisance will be taken of the views put forward by the associations' representatives on the committee.
