Vol. 525 No. 2
771 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the discriminatory nature of the present height requirement as a selection criteria in the pre-entry physical competence test for applicants wishing to join the Garda Síochána; and if he will take the necessary steps to remove this requirement. [24322/00]
The Garda Síochána physical competence test review group is currently looking at the question of pre-entry physical competence tests for applicants wishing to join the Garda Síochána and the validity of the present height requirements. The review group is due to report before the end of the year and I will carefully consider the recommendations in their report.
The Employment Equality Act, 1998, permits the application of different height criteria for men and women provided that the criteria chosen are such that the proportion of women in the State likely to meet the criterion for women is approximately the same as the proportion of men likely to meet the criterion for men.
