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Garda Recruitment

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 February 2014

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Questions (153, 154, 164, 166)

Mattie McGrath

Question:

153. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality in relation to the recruitment campaign for An Garda Síochána, if those who are unsuccessful at stage two are they going to be removed from the recruitment process or ranked accordingly and asked to progress to stage three should the need occur at a future date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8448/14]

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Mattie McGrath

Question:

154. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality in relation to Garda recruitment, those within band one who are successful right to the end of the process, if there is going to be a panel drawn up to service the needs over the next three years with just band one members; it was recently announced that this campaign would be for the next three years; for those that are within band two and three will they ever progress to stage two of the campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8449/14]

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Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

164. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice and Equality with regard to the current Garda recruitment the number that will go through stage one and stage two of the Garda recruitment process and the number that will finally go for interview; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8554/14]

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Michael Lowry

Question:

166. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide clarification on the status of those who had applied as part of the Garda recruitment process and who have been classified as Band 2 or Band 3; if these persons will be considered for any future recruitment process or will that be confined to those classified as Band 1; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8559/14]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 153, 154, 164 and 166 together.

The Deputies will be aware that the Public Appointments Service are managing this recruitment process for the Garda Commissioner and as such I have no direct involvement in the matter. I have however been informed that the first stages of the recruitment competition have now been completed. Candidates who have qualified through these have been placed in order of merit into three bands.

Those in Band one will be the first to be called to the next stages of the competition, which will also be run by PAS, and if ultimately successful will be placed on a panel for entry into training in the Garda College. A candidate who fails any stage of the process will be eliminated from the competition and will not be allowed re-enter this competition. Once all those on Band one have been tested, those on Band two and then Band three will be called to the second and subsequent stages and again, if ultimately successful, will also be placed on the panel.

The number progressing through any stages of the recruitment process is dependent on the success rate of the candidates in question and it is therefore not possible at this stage to know how many candidates from any Band will go forward to the interview stage.

I have made it clear on a number of occasions that it is my wish that Garda strength should remain at 13,000 and the number to be recruited will take that into account along with the rate of departures from the force in the coming years.

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