asked the Minister for Justice if he will outline the number of additional gardaí recruited in 1988, at all levels; the net changes in the composition of the force in 1988; and his plans for recruitment in 1989.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Garda Recruitment.
4.
There has been no recruitment to the force during 1988. As the Deputy is probably aware, a recruitment competition is at present in progress, from which a total of 1,000 appointments are due to be made over the three year period 1989, 1990 and 1991.
The intention is that approximately 300 garda trainees will be appointed during 1989, on the basis that the first intake of approximately 75 successful candidates should commence training in Templemore Training Centre in April 1989 and that there should be a further intake of around the same number every three months thereafter.
The changes in the numbers in the force in 1988 are shown in a tabular statement which I propose to circulate in the Official Report.
Following is the statement.
Changes in Composition of the Force 1 January 1988 to 31 October 1988.
|
Rank |
Strength on |
Net Change |
|
|
1 Jan. 1988 |
31 Oct. 1988 |
||
|
Commissioner |
1 |
1 |
— |
|
D. Commissioner |
1 |
2 |
+1 |
|
Ass. Commissioner |
4 |
6 |
+2 |
|
Surgeon |
1 |
1 |
— |
|
C/Superintendent |
41 |
35 |
-6 |
|
Superintendent |
155 |
130* |
-25* |
|
Inspector |
231 |
220* |
-11* |
|
Sergeant |
1,822 |
1,713 |
-109 |
|
Garda |
8,853 |
8,674 |
-179 |
|
Total |
11,109 |
10,782 |
-327 |
*It should be noted that 19 Inspectors who were promoted to the rank of Superintendent with effect from 4 November are not included in these returns.
The Minister's reply states that no new recruits were taken on in the current year but before the new recruits are trained, a period of almost two years will have elapsed before the vacancies in the force due to retirements and deaths are replaced. The 300 new gardaí who will replace those who have retired will hardly make up the loss of numbers in the force. Surely, the Minister is aware of the very serious situation where crime is on the increase, not just in this city but in every town and village, and in rural areas in the country? Further, is the Minister aware that in County Wicklow the Garda strength in the barracks, which has been reduced considerably over the years, is totally inadequate for the level of crime in the county? We not only have our own quota of wrong-doers but we have to meet the problems caused by unsavoury visitors from the city. Over the years hundreds of thousands of decent people have visited Wicklow from the city but, unfortunately because it is near a very large population area a number of unsavoury characters are coming down and causing depredation. This problem not only applies to my own county, but to——
I want to help the Deputy to elicit information, but I must dissuade him from making a speech.
I am sorry, a Cheann Comhairle, but I am trying to make the point that it seems a little tardy of the Minister to replace the numbers only now, and that not only is the total number of 1,000 appointments inadequate but the figure of 300 garda trainees to be appointed during 1989 is also totally inadequate.
Most of the points made by Deputy Kavanagh were taken into consideration at the time the Government decided to go ahead with the recruitment campaign which is at present underway. I am sure the Deputy recognises that the filling of vacancies in the Garda Síochána cannot be considered in isolation from overall Government policy on public service numbers generally.
The Minister in his reply referred to the recruitment of 1,000 new gardaí but there was a short list of 12 people from the previous scheme who had been disallowed on medical grounds — they were athletes who had met with accidents. Has the Minister discounted those 12 people from the new training programme?
I am a bit slow to respond to the Deputy on that point without prior notice but I can say, and this is subject to verification at a later stage over the next number of days, that it is the intention that those who were due to be called for training at the end of the last competition will be facilitated in the new competition. I understand, and I will let the Deputy have something more definite, that the Commissioner has written to them to that effect some time ago. I will check the matter out for the Deputy.
Would the Minister agree that in the urban areas in particular there is a chronic shortage of gardaí? For example, the superintendent in Tallaght Garda station has put in a request to the Minister for 20 additional gardaí, which have not been and cannot be supplied.
That is a specific matter worthy of a separate question.
Would the Minister agree that there is a chronic shortage of gardaí in the urban areas? Does the Minister have requests from Tallaght and other areas for the supply of urgently needed gardaí to meet the needs of the appalling increase of crime in urban areas?
A Cheann Comhairle, I think the Deputy misunderstands the situation. The needs of a particular Garda district or division are matters for consideration by the Garda Commissioner, not by the Minister.
Does the Minister not have to provide the gardaí to supply the Garda Commissioner? Will the Minister comment on that?
The Deputy should understand that it is a matter for the Commissioner how the forces available to him are allocated between the different divisions.
The Minister is not supplying the Garda numbers——
Deputy Liam Kavanagh is offering; I call Deputy Kavanagh.
Would the Minister assure the House that the appointment of 1,000 new recruits will only be the start of a campaign to build up the Garda force and that we will not have a situation where no recruitment takes place for a number of years? This level of recruitment will be needed for a number of years in the future.
That is a view that many would share, and perhaps I share that view. This is something we will keep in front of us at all times.
Would the Minister not consider, when he discusses the matter with the Garda Síochána, to have gardaí transferred from areas where there are too many to areas where the gardaí are required? County Wicklow is one case and County Meath is another but we can go along the line where this is the case.
It is a matter for the Garda Commissioner to decide where the manpower should be deployed. If any Deputy has information that the Commissioner might usefully consider with regard to the fact that there might be too many gardaí in any one place, they perhaps might pass the information to the Garda Commissioner.
The Minister gave me the reply six months ago.