Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 December 2015
331. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her views on the report of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate that a significant number of administrative staff in Garda Síochána headquarters could be freed up for front-line duties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45885/15]
View answerThe Report of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate "Changing Policing in Ireland - Delivering a Visible, Accessible and Responsive Service", which I published on 9 December, examines the operation and administration of An Garda Síochána and is one part of a review of An Garda Síochána required to be undertaken under the Haddington Road Agreement. The other part, which relates to the pay and conditions of members and appropriate industrial relations mechanisms, is ongoing under the stewardship of Mr Ray McGee, formerly of the Labour Relations Commission.
The report makes some 80 recommendations in relation to the structures of An Garda Síochána, its deployment practices, culture, human resources practices and financial management. Some of the recommendations are far-reaching and, if implemented, would involve a fundamental restructuring of An Garda Síochána across the country. It is, therefore, important that the full implications of the recommendations, and the analysis underpinning them, are considered in detail before any decisions are taken. With these considerations in mind, I have put in place a process to seek the views of the Garda Commissioner and other bodies to whom recommendations are directed and have requested them to respond within a reasonably short period of time, having regard to the size and scope of the report.
In relation to the particular matter raised by the Deputy, the report does suggest that there are a significant number of technical or administrative posts occupied by Gardaí that do not appear to require sworn powers, and that may provide good opportunities to increase the use of skilled civilians and release members for front-line roles. As recognised by the Inspectorate, however, achieving the optimum composition of the Garda workforce as between highly trained Gardaí and professional, skilled civilian staff and redeploying Garda members to front-line duties is a medium term project requiring very detailed analysis of the specific roles in An Garda Síochána in order to determine if they require Garda powers and if not, the mix of skills required by a civilian to fill the post instead. It is not the case that members can simply be redeployed overnight – it must be done in planned way with suitably qualified civilians recruited to replace them. In addition, there may be medical reasons arising from injuries received while serving on the front-line or other health reasons that might prevent a member being deployed to the front-line.
In saying that, I am keen that this work should progress as quickly as possible and my Department will continue to work with the Garda Commissioner and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in order to make progress in this area. As an example of what can be achieved, I would draw the Deputy's attention to the process which is currently ongoing to civilianise border control functions at Dublin airport and the transfer of these responsibilities from An Garda Síochána to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service of my Department.
