The Government is to agree a number of changes to the entry requirements for the Garda next month as part of an initiative to recruit more members from ethnic minorities.
It is expected that education standards for applicants will be changed to cater for recruits who cannot speak Irish, while there will also be a requirement that applicants be legally resident in the State for a number of years.
An information campaign involving advertisements and distribution of promotional material among ethnic minorities will be launched next month.
A working group, involving representatives from Garda management, the Public Appointments Commission and the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI), is due to meet today to finalise aspects of the recruitment campaign. Informed Garda sources say there will be no quota on the proportion of ethnic minorities likely to be recruited, while the recruitment drive will not focus on any particular ethnic group.
Under the new system non-national and Irish applicants would apply together, given that any changes to the entry requirements would apply to all potential recruits.
The final details of the proposed changes are still being finalised and are due to be brought before the next meeting of the Cabinet for approval in September.
A number of options are being examined regarding plans to waive the mandatory provision that Garda recruits must be able to speak Irish.
Applicants will have to speak two languages, of which English or Irish must be one.
However, it is likely those unable to speak Irish will have to take classes to reach a certain proficiency in the language either during or before their two-year training programme.
There will be no Irish citizenship requirement, although applicants will have to prove they have been legally resident in the State for a defined period of time. This is likely to be in the region of five years.
Philip Watt, the director of the NCCRI, an advisory body to the Government on racism and interculturalism, said he hoped sufficient supports would be put in place for members of ethnic minorities who successfully apply to join the Garda.
A spokesman for the Garda confirmed that a number of changes to the entry criteria for joining the force were being drawn up, but declined to comment further prior to the proposals going before Cabinet.
Greater ethnic and cultural diversity within the force has been identified as a strategic goal in the Garda's three-year corporate strategy.
