Vol. 572 No. 5
153 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the Government has decided to contribute gardaí to EUPOL; the legal basis on which such a decision would be made; the numbers of gardaí that would be sent; the locations they would be seconded from; and the way on which his Department will ensure that Garda deployment would not be affected in high crime areas, such as the inner cities. [23687/03]
The Government has approved, in principle, the deployment of not less than three and not more than six members of the Garda Síochána on an international police peace-keeping mission in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. It will operate under EU auspices from 15 December onwards, subject to consultation with the Attorney General on any legal issues arising.
The deployment would be met from within the existing authorised establishment of the Garda force overall. This EU police mission, originally named EUPOL, will be known as Proxima.
The selection process for any gardaí to be seconded to Proxima is a matter for the Commissioner. The criteria for selection will be based on job specification and suitability. The job specifications for this mission will be identified by the mission planning team attached to the EU Council secretariat.
