Vol. 556 No. 5
179 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the percentage of gardaí who are eligible for retirement having served 30 years or reached the age of 50; and if he will make a statement on the implications this has for the overall strength of the force over the next two to five years. [21031/02]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities that as of 5 November, 2002, 8.7% of the personnel strength of the Garda Síochána are eligible for retirement. The exposure to retirements from the Garda Síochána will be increasing over the next few years and this reflects the expansion in the size of the force back in the 1970s. However, the rate of retirements from the Garda Síochána is around 3% of the force per annum and is not projected to reach 4% at any stage in the next 5 years. I do not regard this rate as excessive.
