Vol. 429 No. 8
43 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Justice the number of civilian clerical staff recruited by her Department and assigned duties previously carried out by trained Garda personnel for the years 1990 to 1992; the number she intends to recruit in this area in 1993; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
The Garda authorities inform me that since 1 January 1990, 308 additional civilian clerical staff were recruited to the Garda Síochána and have been assigned to duties which were previously carried out by trained Garda personnel, or to new posts to which gardaí would have been assigned in the normal course. This brings the number of civilian clerical staff employed in the Garda Síochána to almost 700, the highest number ever.
There is a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government 1993-1997 to increase the number of gardaí available for operational duties through more use of civilians, and I intend to act on that commitment as quickly as possible.
