Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 October 2025
65. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps he is taking to tackle Garda recruitment and retention including Garda numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54118/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
The Garda Vote in Budget 2026 includes unprecedented funding of €2.59 billion which will support the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.
At the end of August, the total Garda personnel strength stood at over 18,000, which included 14,369 Garda Members, 3,494 Staff, and 296 Reserves.
Significant measures have been made to boost recruitment and retention that include increasing the Garda trainee allowance to €354 per week; increasing the age of entry from 35 to 50; and raising the mandatory retirement age to 62.
By any objective standard, the proportion of Garda resignations remains very low with the resignation rate currently between 1 and 2%. I understand this turnover is far below the level experienced by UK police services (approximately 10%) and across the rest of the public sector in Ireland or in the private sector (between 10% and 20%).
An exit interview process was introduced in 2023, to better understand why people opted to resign, and to inform measures which could aid retention. In 2025 an exit interview survey was introduced to further extend the sample reached.
In February this year, the first Garda recruitment competition for 2025 was launched. This is the fourth such competition in recent years and despite the challenging labour market conditions, I am delighted to say that over 6,700 applications were received. This demonstrates the continued interest in a career as a member An Garda Síochána.
A second Garda recruitment competition launched on 16 September and closes on 9 October. I would encourage anyone with an interest in what can be a challenging but always highly rewarding career to visit publicjobs.ie
In total this year, 571 trainee Gardaí have entered the college, with another intake due in November, ensuring a growing pipeline of trainee Gardaí.
In August 154 new Gardaí attested with 120 attesting in June and 149 in March. These Gardaí have now been allocated to stations around the country.
A Recruitment and Training Capacity Group has been established to support the achievement of the increased recruitment to AGS. The group has submitted a report on actions to maximise future intakes and to ensure that recruitment campaigns are as effective as possible. This report has been published and is available on my Department’s website.
The Government has provided the funding to allow for sustained recruitment and, as I have outlined, is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs.
I would like to assure the Deputy that an increased, and a visible Garda presence, is central to the Government's aim to build safe and secure communities for the public to enjoy.
