Catherine Murphy
Question:1226. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if a fresh new recruitment campaign will be launched before the end of the year for persons to apply to join An Garda Síochána. [38948/23]
View answerMonday, 11 September 2023
Questions (1226)
Written answers
As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended). As Minister I have no role in the Garda recruitment process.
The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, which is reflected in an allocation of in excess of €2.14 billion under Budget 2023.
This level of funding will provide a steady pipeline of new Gardaí in the coming years, and the Government will continue to work with the Commissioner to ensure that members of An Garda Síochána are fully supported.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that numbers in Templemore continue to increase, with intakes entering the Garda College approximately every 3 months. 135 trainees entered the training college in February and another 154 in May. Another class of 174, the largest class since the onset of the COVID pandemic, entered the college at the end of July, continuing the building momentum in recruitment.
The Commissioner has indicated his intention that annual recruitment campaigns will be held. As the Deputy will be aware, the most recent campaign was held earlier this year and closed in April.
This year’s campaign, which was shorter in duration than the 2022 campaign, attracted almost 5,000 applicants. This level of interest is in line with 2019, the last pre-COVID recruitment campaign, and demonstrates the demand to join An Garda Síochána is as strong as ever.
Engagement is ongoing between An Garda Síochána, the Public Appointments Service and my Department in relation to the next Garda Trainee recruitment campaign, however no date has been set for the launch of this campaign at present.
Question No. 1227 answered with Question No. 1176.