THE GOVERNMENT HAS agreed to bring forward legislation to allow candidates over the age of 55 to apply for the post of Garda Commissioner.
Former commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan retired from the position last September and Donal O’ Culáin has been in the role of Acting Garda Commissioner since her departure.
Under the current rules, only those below this age threshold are eligible to put their names forward for the job.
In order to change this provision, a short Bill of legislation will now be drafted to allow those over the age of 55 to apply for the role.
The change in legislation has sparked questions about who potential applicants might be, particularly those aged over 55.
It’s understood that advertisements for the position will be published later this month and it is expected that a new Garda Commissioner will be appointed by the summer.
The acting Commissioner has already stated that he will not apply for the job.
Speaking in the Dáil today, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said he didn’t believe the salary will not be an obstacle when it comes to attracting the best candidate for the job.
In December, the Cabinet agreed the salary could be pushed out to of €200,000-€250,000. The current salary stands at €180,613.
By comparison, the Chief Constable of the PSNI has a basic salary of €228,474.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say