I have been informed by the Commissioner, who is responsible for the allocation of all resources including personnel, in An Garda Síochána, that the post to which the Deputy refers is one of 300 new Garda civilian clerical posts which, on 2 May 2007, the Government approved for filling through an open recruitment process conducted by the Public Appointments Service (PAS). I have also been informed by the Commissioner that by agreement with the Civil and Public Services Union, civil service organisations seeking to fill clerical vacancies arising outside Dublin are generally required to examine the possibility of filling such vacancies from the Central Transfer List.
Personnel matters in an Garda Síochána, including recruitment and selection, are the responsibility of the Commissioner and it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comment on an individual case.