Fine Gael TD for Limerick Patrick O’Donovan, has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence that he intends to commence recruitment to An Garda Siochana.
Speaking on the matter, Deputy O’Donovan said, “I am very pleased with the announcement by Minister Alan Shatter today that he has received sanction from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD, to begin the process of recruitment to the full time force of An Garda Siochana.
“Despite the difficult financial constraints the Government is working within, it is very important that the Garda force has a regular intake of new recruits in order to cope with the demanding nature of policing.
“Recruitment to An Garda Siochana has been closed for several years as part of the public sector hiring freeze however the Minister has confirmed he will now make arrangements with the Public Appointments Service so that they can do the necessary preparatory work to deal with what is expected to be a very large number of applications later this year.
“I know this announcement will come as welcome news to members of An Garda Siochana and also by those currently serving on the Garda Reserve,” said Deputy O’Donovan.