Garda Recruitment

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 April 2012

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Ceisteanna (1019)

Robert Dowds

Ceist:

1037 Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if persons who are applying to be members of An Garda in the next round of recruitment, and who had already passed several stages of the 2008 recruitment campaign for the Garda at the time the recruitment moratorium was put in place, will be allowed to restart their application from the stage which they had last passed in 2008 or if they will have to begin the entire process from the beginning. [19372/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Alan Shatter)

I am informed by the Garda Authorities that there is a Garda recruitment panel currently in place consisting of applicants selected by the Public Appointments Service as part of a 2008 recruitment campaign. However, no offers of employment have been made to applicants since the introduction of the public service moratorium on recruitment in 2009.

The moratorium on recruitment remains in place in furtherance of the objective, set in the context of the agreement with the EU and the IMF, to reduce the numbers of public servants. While successful applicants on this panel currently remain eligible to be offered positions as trainee Gardaí, the lifetime of the panel, and the position of applicants on it, will be kept under review in the light of when Garda recruitment might recommence.