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LAST UPDATE | 13 Oct 2023
THE GOVERNMENT IS to increase the age limit for new gardaí from 35 to 50, the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has announced.
The decision was announced at the latest graduation ceremony for 126 new Gardaí in the Garda College in Templemore.
It also comes just days after a €2.3 billion allocation for An Garda Síochána in Budget 2024 to help build stronger, safer communities.
The funding includes an aspirational recruitment figure of 800 to 1,000 new Gardaí and an increase in the training allowance from €184 to €305.
In February, the Labour Court determined the age limit was unlawful and amounted to discrimination on the grounds of age. An appeal has been levelled against that decision.
During evidence to the court in that case Commissioner Drew Harris had claimed that the age limit of 35 was “essential”. He further claimed that it was needed to maintain the bar on older candidates because of the need for stamina.
Minister McEntee and Commissioner Harris made the announcement today.
They proposed that the age should be changed in advance of the next Garda recruitment campaign to give as many people as possible the opportunity to apply to An Garda Síochána.
The entry age limit of 35 has been in place since 2004, when it was increased from 26.
The retirement age is currently set at 60 and Minister McEntee is also in discussions with Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe on this issue.
Sources have said one of the key issues will be the payment into the Garda pension and whether the older joining age will impact this aspect.
The change to the entry age can only be made by way of regulation following approval by the Cabinet, and McEntee will bring proposals to Government shortly.
It is anticipated that a class of 126 new Gardaí will graduate today and another class will enter Templemore on Monday.
135 trainees entered the training college in February, another 154 in May and a class of 174 in July – the Department of Justice has said that the total garda numbers will be at 14,032.
Gardaí believe that they will reach a level of between 700 and 800 new recruits this year.
McEntee has said she hopes the move brings a more diverse workforce and personnel with different skills that they have acquired throughout their lives.
Speaking to reporters at Templemore, the minister said “nothing was off the table” in regard to Garda recruitment and retention.
She refuted the idea that increasing the entry age limit was an act of “desperation” to sustain Garda numbers.
“Absolutely not, I think we live in a different world,” she said.
“People are living longer, they’re healthier for longer, but also people change careers in the way that they haven’t before. Somebody might have gone into a particular role and stayed there forever. It’s not the case now, people change multiple times.
“And this gives us an opportunity, particularly where we have such specialists and diverse units within An Garda Siochana, for people to actually bring a level of expertise that we maybe haven’t seen before.”
The minister also acknowledged that her “ambitious” target of securing 1,000 recruits this year will fall short, with between 700-800 new gardai set to pass through Templemore by year end.
She said €2.3 billion of funding for the Garda outlined in Budget 2024 included provision for the recruitment of between 800 to 1,000 new gardai.
McEntee said increasing the weekly training allowance for Garda recruits by 66% to 305 euros would help when it came to attracting people aged over 35, who may have more financial commitments than younger colleagues, to sign up to the force.
However, Labour justice spokesperson Aodhan O Riordain has criticised the move on the grounds that the training allowance for new recruits is less than the minimum wage, saying the intervention “will not work”.
“We should be raising pay, not just age limits,” the TD said.
“Right now, the Garda training allowance is €305 a week. It’s simply not enough to encourage people to join up.
The recruitment crisis is rife in the Gardai but it is not because of the cut off age. It is because serving members of the force feel utterly disrespected due to the paltry pay they receive.
“The issue is, many people are giving up good paying jobs to become a Garda, then they arrive at college and realise they’re on poverty pay. Many have families or financial commitments they need to fund. Those in their late 30s and 40s certainly will have these commitments.”
He called on the government to replace the current training allowance amount with the full Garda starting salary of nearly €35,000.
Additional reporting by Lauren Boland
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Now Helen McEntee says Gardai can enter the force up to the age of 50 . Most Gardai are retiring at the age of 50
@Alan Scott: Bottom of the scale at 50. lol best of luck with that
Helen McEntee staring into the Abyss as the realisation that one day her Machiavellian pact with the devil will be called to account.
Getting people to join isnt the issue, its retention and pay thats an issue. No point raising the age when many join and then like many who go on to serve as a nurse, firefighter etc find their profession is woefully under appreciated and under valued by those in the dail and just leave. Hate speech helen needs to look deeper isnt of rhese soundbites cos this isnt the answer. Heres a mad idea, what about talking to Gardai on the front line instead of taking the word of your mate MI5 Harris all the time cos its clear he doesnt have our garda best interests at heart
@Tom Newell: Way way too sensible a proposal to work here Tom i’m afraid.
@Tom Newell: Unless your looking to raise the retirement age.
Good news. Lots of folks are still very fit and able in their 40s and 50s.
@eoin fitzpatrick: that’s not the issue, the issue will be around pension and mandatory 30 years service. So retiring at mid 70s is the issue, unless they don’t qualify for a pension
@Bilko: “mandatory 30 years service” – why are you assuming that will apply? Issues relating to pension, etc, can all be resolved via negotiation and legislation etc.
The UK police force has no upper limit for joining.
Serve your time in the army, get full pension, then switch to the gardai, get full pension then retire and get state pension. Oh wait, you will be taxed to high heavens and probably won’t see 70.
Under FFG, NO teachers NO nurses NO gardai. Alternative is probably no different either.
@Peter: No one starting at 50 in the public sector is getting a pension. The public sector only works if you start at 25. The great Irish people will keep you at the bottom rung regardless of your experience, it’s one of the reasons the whole place is full of mor on s
@Peter: But the alternative at least deserve a chance before you decide that hypothetically they wouldn’t work…FFG have proved they dont work for the people so we need to change.
@Thesaltyurchin: that’s my point, who would start a career in public service at 50!
@Peter: No one is going to really be “starting” at 50, that’s just the upper age limit. The majority will be starting younger seeing as the original limit was 35.
Plus, anyone joining in their late 30′s/early 40′s will likely bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience.
worst minster ever?
This is unprecedented. Shows you how desperate they are to recruit. Put any slant you want on it, this is not what is needed in the Garda force, especially now.
No comments from McEntee concerning the report into the missing millions in Templemore and the missing mobile phones and laptops of two ex garda commissioners. The brush and the carpet seems to be McEntee,s favourite option. Suppose the publication of the report could affect her next photo opportunity as she bravely strolls O Connell Street with her garda escort.
Hamas are Isis and should be dealt with accordingly.
@AnthonyK: Yes, but don’t slaughter the innocent in the process.
@AnthonyK: Hamas only exist because Zionists have not been held to account for decades of crimes.
50 ? That’s a bit much for a new recruit Garda who are expected to be on the street . Maybe it will be fine if they consist of ex army lads who left their post a few years ago. Some people rightly noted that many Gardai are looking for a way out by 50. Perhaps do something to encourage the force to stay ie pay and work conditions would be a start .
Ridiculous, anyone joining at 50 would have to retire at 60, at current wage levels they couldn’t reach the top level of Garda wages for 20 years, the Garda pension takes 20 years to even get to 50% value so being able to work a minimum 20 years would be the barest of career options. This is not about the person or their fitness, just basic economics.
@James K.: I think the person themselves is better placed to decide what’s best for them
@James K.: Yes but it gives them 10 years to dish out a few baytins to folk who have pissed them off or wronged them over the years. The recruitment drive should have the phrase “This time it’s personal” under the main heading
@casio shock: Best of luck to any 40+ year olds going out in Cabra looking to play Judge Dredd
@James K.: 100%… it’s almost a comedy act this announcement.
I know some 50+ year olds who would run rings around some of these younger tubs of lard Gardai.
@Gerry Lamont: People who have the time to maintain their fitness are probs in situations that allow the time for such activities. Time afforded by clever decisions regarding the accumulation of wealth, guessing they already have pretty good jobs. That or they poor.
This is good news – an age limit of 35 was discriminatory anyway.
There should not be any age limit for recruitment of civil servants etc.
Age limits are used to discriminate against people from less well off backgrounds who didn’t have the same resources as their middle-class peers.
@Pat the Baker: STFU ! How ? They were free to join the Gardai and Army between 18-25 (by then serious and intelligent young people would have figured out what they wanted to do ) waffling about the poor lol, during the late 1990s onwards most of them with a brain were often the first member of their family to gain access to third level education due to the reduction in tuition fees and generators VEC maintenance grants (which also paid tuition fees) . Okay, those grants were several cut by circa 2008 ish where SUSI now deals with them but the grants still exist to help the poor . Useless idiots who didn’t take advantage of it can’t blame being poor as an excuse . Third level isn’t the be all and end all either . FAS courses were there for many of the tradesmen .
@Pat the Baker: if people from the “poor community” failed to avail of tuition and maintenance grants to go to college in their late teens to mid twenties, there’s feck all chance of them getting into the civil service at any point , so the age limit like your argument is irrelevant to them. Civil servants want the best and brightest young thing and not the rejects ( they also exist within the well off – plenty of twits )
You are very unfair to Helen McEntee in your comment In my view she belongs more to a fashion catwalk than a political party
This is a clear acceptance that FFG have lost a generation and are reliant on trying to convince those who have maybe returned from emigration or were lucky enough to get permanent or secure dwellings before things went awry to fill posts which are otherwise not attractive or viable to the younger cohort.Teachers,doctors,nurses,fire service and many others will all see the same thing over the next couple of years until the time comes that young people can once again afford to either rent or buy a home in this broken state.
Is this an open forum to spout about anything that concerns you now?
@Hector turtlehead: Are you new here?
Is this not the premise of police academy? Hijinks are coming
@Fergal Mangan: With many many more FIN€ recruits for Harris to harrass!
Reeks of those Police Academy films where they took in all sorts of the people . Christ , has things got that bad ? I know that the working population is already working or studying , but surely some of the young ones would aspire to be Gardai if the work and pay conditions were sound .
What’s happens when they hit mandatory retirement at 60?
Helen is papering over the craics.
Unfortunately, AGS is fastly going where the DF’s were going in the mid 00s
Or being intensely probed under section 30!
@Alan Scott: She sure likes to strut safely in the knowledge!
Jaysus, might become a Rozzer yet and get some of that sweat sweat overtime for standing around looking busy
@Journal Factchecker: sweaty overtime? If you’re breaking a sweat standing around looking busy I’d seek medical help first.
They can do an irish reboot of ‘The Rookie’ now.
@: a very snide and cringe thread
have your say