Vol. 489 No. 3
230 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform whether he has considered raising the Garda retirement age; and if the retirement age has been found to result in the loss of people with technical skills who are expensive to replace. [7904/98]
I understand that the representative associations for each of the ranks of the Garda Síochána up to and including chief superintendent have claims before the Garda Conciliation Council to have the retirement age extended for their respective ranks.
The scheme of conciliation and arbitration for the Garda Síochána provides the relevant machinery for the processing of such claims. Under the terms of the scheme the proceedings of the council are confidential and it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.
It is inevitable, whether the compulsory retirement age for members of Garda rank is set at 57 or 60, that experienced members will be lost through retirement. I am informed by the Garda authorities that wastage and recruitment requirements in the force are constantly monitored and cognisance is taken of the loss of members with technical skills as part of this ongoing process.
