I propose to take Questions Nos. 351 to 354, inclusive, together.
Following the Government decision in October 2004 to approve my proposal to increase the strength of An Garda Síochána to 14,000, I asked the Garda Commissioner to review the eligibility criteria for entry to the Garda Síochána. I am of the belief that future intakes of recruits to the Garda Síochána should as far as possible reflect the composition of Irish society, and my view was that this was an opportune time to ensure that the criteria for entry would better meet the evolving needs of An Garda Síochána and the society they serve.
I initially increased the maximum age of applicants from 26 to 35 in time for the recruitment competition in November 2004. That change has had a significant effect, with a significant percentage of recent recruits coming within the extended age range. In particular, it enables applications from a greater proportion of those members of the immigrant community who may have had years of relevant experience in their countries of origin before coming to Ireland. Equally, it presents a new career option to Irish nationals within this age bracket who may have lived abroad for some time and now wish to return.
In advance of advertising the most recent Garda recruitment competition, which was launched in September 2005, following a period of thorough consultation with the Commissioner and other stakeholders, I secured Government approval for a number of important changes aimed at facilitating recruitment from different ethnic backgrounds in our society.
Key among these was that the requirement to hold a qualification in both Irish and English in the Leaving Certificate or equivalent was replaced with a requirement to hold such a qualification in two languages, at least one of which must be Irish or English. A new nationality or residency requirement was also introduced. While there was previously no such explicit requirement, the need to have a qualification in Irish had effectively limited entry to An Garda Síochána to Irish citizens. Admission as a trainee is now open to nationals of an EU Member State, an EEA State or the Swiss Confederation, and nationals of any other state who are lawfully present in Ireland and have five years' lawful residence here.
These changes have opened up entry to An Garda Síochána to persons from all parts of the community and from all ethnic backgrounds. This is a hugely significant step which will help ensure that future intakes of recruits to An Garda Síochána reflect the composition of Irish society, to the benefit of the Force and the people it serves. A special working group comprising representatives of my Department, An Garda Síochána, the Public Appointments Service and the National Committee for Racism and Interculturalism, was established in order to devise an awareness campaign in conjunction with the 2005 competition, involving targeted media publicity and further consultations with representatives of the ethnic minority communities. This working group is now holding further meetings to review the outcome of the 2005 competition and to consider further initiatives to promote and publicise the next recruitment competition among these communities.
I believe that the participation from ethnic minorities in our police force will make a positive and lasting contribution to the ongoing change and modernisation in An Garda Síochána. Planning for the policing service we want to have for this country in 20 years time should begin now. We must be pro-active, progressive and build a vision as to how An Garda Síochána can provide an effective policing service in a more diverse Ireland.