The government block on all public service hires and promotions to have a major impact on the Gardaí and the Defence Forces.
The government block on public service recruitment and promotion is being introduced to make savings of €20 billion a year in the pay and pensions bill. As a result, no more Gardaí will be recruited until further notice and there will be no promotions to vacant positions within the search.
The government has stopped all recruitment and promotions in the public service.
Members of the Garda Síochána cannot be promoted or recruited without the approval of the Minister for Finance. The move has been strongly criticised as an operational interference in the security services. Joe Dirwan, Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, says that without the required resources both Garda and public safety are at risk.
Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA) says that there are at least one hundred privates currently waiting for promotion to corporal as well as another one hundred soldiers competing for higher rank appointments.
Gerry Rooney, PDFORRA, says that it is not possible to introduce recruitment bans in organisations like the Defence Forces. These measures will damage operational services such as units serving overseas.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern acknowledges that these are difficult circumstances in the current economic climate.
This ban affects all of the country's 300,000 public servants. In the case of the Garda Síochána, it means that the government will fail in its commitment to increase the size of the force to 16,000. The Garda Commissioner will now have to ask the Minister for Finance for permission to employ or promote anyone.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 2 April 2009. The reporter is Paul Reynolds.
