Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 November 2022
287. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice if consideration can be given to extending the retirement age for members of An Garda Síochána from 60 to 66 years in order to resolve the recruitment crisis that exists within An Garda Síochána and to ensure the retention of expert knowledge within the force; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56065/22]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible by law for the management and administration of Garda business, which includes the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff. As Minister I have no direct role in the recruitment of Garda members, however, I can assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with over €2.14 billion allocated to the Garda Vote in Budget 2023.
This includes provision for the recruitment of up to 1,000 additional Garda members and 400 Garda staff.
As the Deputy will appreciate, recruitment of Garda members was severely affected by the Covid pandemic during which time the Garda College had to be closed for long periods. I am informed by the Garda authorities that at the end of August this year, there are 14,283 Garda members, supported by over 3,117 Garda staff (unsworn members). This represents an increase of almost 12% since 2015 when there were 12,816 Garda members throughout the country.
A new competition was advertised in February 2022 with a closing date in March. I am pleased to say that over 11,000 expressed an interest in joining An Garda Síochána and that approximately 5,000 participated in the tests. Interviews are currently taking place in rolling batches, with the first recruits from this competition due to commence their training at the end of this month, having completed the necessary fitness, medical and vetting checks.
The Commissioner has committed to recruiting an additional 200 trainee Gardaí every three months from the start of 2023. In addition, in order to ensure a strong pipeline of recruits into 2024, arrangements are being made to commence the next recruitment campaign in the first half of 2023.
The Deputy will also be interested to know that as part of the on-going reform of An Garda Síochána, some 900 members who were previously assigned to administrative roles have been released to the front-line and replaced by Garda (civilian) staff. This has been made possible by an increase of nearly 1,000 Garda staff since 2017, with a further 400 due to be recruited in 2023.
Insofar as the question of extending the retirement age is concerned, the Deputy will appreciate that this is a complex issue that must have regard to various factors, including the nature of policing and the fast accrual arrangements in place to reflect the particular physical requirements of the role.
In relation to the retirement age, a review was commenced and is now being considered.
