I wish to inform the Deputy that an Expert Review Group has been established by the Garda Commissioner to examine the issue of Garda Recruitment, Entry Pathways and Recruit Education. This is a commitment under A Policing Service for our Future, the Implementation Plan for the recommendations in the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The Group will examine a variety of matters including the age of recruitment to An Garda Síochána. The Group operates in an advisory capacity and will submit a report to the Garda Commissioner within 12 months.
The Deputy will also be aware of a recent Workplace Relations Commission decision in relation to the entry age into An Garda Síochána. Following consultations with the Garda Commissioner, the Office of the Attorney General and the Chief State Solicitors Office, it has been decided to bring an appeal to the Labour Court to clarify a number of aspects of the decision in question.