Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
1125. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice in relation to the civil servants within An Garda Síochána who do not want to lose their status as civil servants, if she will ensure that they are given the right to choose whether they wish to be a public servant or civil servant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37856/23]
View answerThe Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill was formally published in January of this year and is based on the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI) report. The report of the Commission recommended that Garda staff be recruited directly to An Garda Síochána, rather than the Civil Service.
A central tenet of the CoFPI report was that An Garda Síochána should be seen and treated as a single organisation with a single workforce who share a common loyalty and mission. It found that more integrated workforce structures were required to leverage the different skills and perspectives of Garda members and Garda staff and thereby to contribute to enhancing the capacity of the organisation to deliver better policing outcomes.
I acknowledge the concerns of current Garda staff regarding the proposals in this Bill and want existing Garda staff to be reassured that there will be no changes to their terms and conditions, including their status as civil servants of the Government, when the Bill is commenced. I recently met with the trade unions representing Garda staff, Fórsa and AHCPS, in relation to the proposals in the Bill on 7 September 2023.
Any such changes can only take place on foot of further detailed engagement with the recognised trade unions concerned, Fórsa and AHCPS, through the normal industrial relations structures. In addition, Schedule 3 of the Bill ensures that the scales of pay and terms and conditions of service applicable to existing civil servants will be no less beneficial than those to which they were entitled as civil servants.
While it remains my intention that the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill will be enacted before the end of 2023, given the need for consultation with the unions, I do not envisage any change to the status of existing Garda staff taking place until1 January 2025 at the earliest. My Department has written to the Garda Commissioner in this regard in August confirming this position. I hope this will provide further reassurance to current Garda staff.
Dialogue has and will continue to take place between my Department’s officials, Garda management and staff trade unions in relation to this matter. My Department has already met with both Fórsa and AHCPS in relation to their members’ concerns, and these discussions will continue.
