Vol. 426 No. 2
49 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Justice the number of women, by rank, serving in the Garda Síochána; and if she intends to take action to ensure that more women will be recruited and promoted to senior ranks; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
There are 547 women members in the Garda Síochána at present. Their numbers by rank are as follows: Garda, 520; Sergeant, 25; Inspector, 1; Superintendent, 1. Before 1989, women did not compete on equal terms with men to join the Garda Síochána. However, approximately one in every three candidates now offered a position in the Garda, following success at the Civil Service Commission interview, is a woman. This percentage success rate is roughly proportional to the number of women presenting at interview to join the Gardaí.
The effect of the marriage bar, which applied to the Garda Síochána as it did in the Civil Service generally, up to 1973, has severly impacted on the overall number of women in the Force, especially in the supervisory ranks. There are now equal opportunities for advancement within the Garda Síochána and I firmly expect to see women rising through the ranks in a significant way in the future.
