Ivan Yates
Question:9 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Justice the number of Garda posts that have been civilianised since 1 January 1993.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Civilianisation of Garda Posts.
There have been no appointments of civilians to Garda posts so far this year pending detailed consideration of Garda Management's review of civilianisation in the Garda Síochána which was completed earlier this year. The Garda Commissioner has also drawn up a corporate strategy policing document for the Force in line with the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government 1993-1997, and I was pleased to note that further civilianisation during that period is one of its key recommendations. As the House is probably aware, I am preparing a package of law and order measures which I will be putting to the Government in the near future and the employment of more civilians to release gardaí for operational duties will be one of the items addressed in this connection.
I should say that almost 700 civilians are employed on clerical duties in the Garda Síochána at present. This is the highest number ever and represents an increase of about 350 since 1989.
Does the Minister intend to civilianise certain managerial positions within the Garda Síochána?
The Deputy will be aware that recommendations have been made by the Garda Commissioner in his corporate strategy policing document. The Commissioner has identified four specific positions which might be civilianised. They include the posts of the personnel officer, the management accountant, the press officer and the head of organisation and development. Already the fleet manager and the radio engineer are civilians and the head of the new research unit in Templemore, who is about to be appointed, is also a civilian. We are moving in the right direction. Until now almost all the civilians employed held clerical positions and I am keen that that practice should be spread upwards.
Will the Minister confirm that all those appointments will be made by the Civil Service Commission and that none will be made outside what could be termed normal Civil Service recruitment procedures?
The head of research, who is due to be appointed shortly, is the most recent post for which candidates have been selected through the normal civil service recruitment procedure. I could not envisage any situation in which the other appointments to which I referred would be made other than through the normal Civil Service Commission system.
Will the Minister confirm that procedure will apply in respect of positions to which she did not refer and that all recruitment of civilians to the Garda Síochána will be made through the Civil Service Commission, the normal recruitment process for civil servants?
It would not be my intention nor that of the Garda Commissioner that civilians should be recruited other than through the normal Civil Service Commission system.
The Minister mentioned the figure of 700 civilians who are currently working in the Garda Síochána and the Garda Commissioner's corporate strategy policing document which proposed further civilianisation. Will she give an estimate of the number of civilian posts which can be established in the Garda Síochána as a result of further civilianisation? Has any assessment been made to date on the numeric scope for such civilianisation?
This is a straight forward statistical question and appears to be outside the scope of the original question.
I am asking about numbers.
As a first stab at what the number might be, the Commissioner has identified in the corporate strategy document that he is certainly talking about a figure of about 510 over the next five years. That may well increase, based on the various representations received by the Garda Commissioner and his senior management team in relation to the proposals in his strategy document.