Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan has said he is concerned and disappointed at the low number of people from ethnic backgrounds joining the gardaí.
More than 1,000 recruits are in training but only 11 are non-Irish nationals, which is less than 1%.
Minister Lenihan said he did not accept that the policy for recruiting foreign national applicants had failed but said he was now reviewing the regulations to try and increase the numbers.
Mr Lenihan also said he has ordered a report into the behaviour of the Traveller rights group Pavee Point during the recent controversy involving the Roma people.
Minister Lenihan said he wanted to find out if the publicly funded group had operated outside its remit and encouraged a group of new arrivals to seek to set aside the country's immigration laws.
