Vol. 497 No. 4
15 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí, male and female; the extent to which the current numbers meet requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25120/98]
The total strength of the Garda Síochána at 31 October 1998 was 11,157. The female strength included in that figure is 1,053 or 9.4 per cent.
The Garda authorities are satisfied that the current numbers of males and females in the force are adequate to ensure that, where it is necessary, certain duties are performed by persons of a particular gender.
The Garda Síochána is an equal opportunities employer and the Commissioner is satisfied that there are sufficient numbers of females applying for entry to the Garda Síochána and coming through the selection procedures to meet his requirements. Some 35 per cent of all applicants who sat the written tests in the 1997 Garda recruitment competition were females. One effect of this is that, over time, the proportion of women in the force will increase.
I am pleased to note that women have begun to reach the more senior ranks in the force.
