Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 March 2025
335. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Justice the measures that will be taken to make a career in An Garda Síochána more attractive for new recruits and existing members; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14823/25]
View answerI am committed to building stronger, safer communities, and strengthening An Garda Síochána is at the core of that. I will continue to provide An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities around Ireland are safe and feel safe, including investment in recruitment, in equipment and technology and in buildings. Over €2.48 billion has been allocated to An Garda Síochána for 2025, a 27% increase since 2020.
My first priority as Minister for Justice is to get more Gardaí on our streets through increased recruitment. Significant measures have been introduced in recent years to boost recruitment and to make An Garda Síochána a more attractive career for new recruits and existing members, including increasing the Garda trainee allowance to €354 per week; the age of entry has increased from 35 to 50; and the mandatory retirement age has been raised to 62.
There is strong interest in a career in An Garda Síochána. In February the latest recruitment competition took place. It attracted just over 6,700 applicants, This builds on the 5,000 applications which were received in 2023 and the almost 6,400 last year.
In mid-March, we saw 201 trainee Gardaí enter Templemore. This is the largest intake since 2019. It is also the first of four intakes for 2025. I am committed to working with the Garda Commissioner to explore ways of increasing the number of trainees who enter Templemore.
The Programme for Government commits to examining a range of further measures to enable An Garda Síochána recruit 5,000 members across the next five years, and I have already had initial conversations with the Commissioner about how that might be achieved.
A Recruitment and Training Capacity Group has been established, chaired by a senior official in my Department, to support the achievement of increased recruitment. The Group will keep me informed on actions being taken to maximise future intakes and to ensure recruitment can be as effective as possible. The Group will also provide a final report to me by the summer which I expect will include further measures to support recruitment and retention.
